Sapeurs—Africa’s Men of Fashion

Congo’s sapeurs are followers of the code of ‘SAPE’: standing for the French phrase, Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (‘Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant People’), it is a style movement modeled on the Parisian gentleman of the 1960s. Emphasizing not only a refined fashion sense, but also a code of respect for such values as morality, non-violence, and freedom of speech, only those who adhere to this code are accepted as sapeurs. Baudouin Mouanda (born 1981, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo) won the Young Talent Award at the 2009 African Photography Biennial for his works depicting the sapeurs, which have since intrigued viewers around the world. His first solo exhibition in Japan will be accompanied by a show combining image projection with African music.