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The Republic of the Congo is not a developed and wealthy country, its people's lives are far from luxurious and even fashionable. The country has a historical record of poverty, disease, malnutrition and severe conflict throughout the 1990s which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.
But amid Congo's chaos, self-proclaimed dandy from sub-Saharan Africa have been living lives that are in stark contrast to their surroundings. They also went viral and became a lot of talk in cyberspace by netizens.
They are called a fashion enthusiast group known as 'Sapeur' who are fashionable, parlente and classy despite their very different environment.
The term Sapeur comes from the French acronym for their social group, La Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes légantes (Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant People). They are also known as the La Sape community, a group of people who love fashion and fashion.
Launching from Le Journal International, the origins of La Sape's existence can be traced back to the early years of colonialism in the country. France has tried to civilize Africans by giving them secondhand European clothes as a reward for their service.
This then continued and became a social movement that was revived in 1970 by musician Papa Wemba, in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Although wars and strife have ravaged Congo for years, there has been a resurgence of La Sape in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. Despite campaigns pushing for the restriction of subcultures from the public sphere, they are now revered, representing stability and calm amid the turmoil in the country.
La Sape's revival actually gave a better impact in the midst of the dispute. According to government minister for special economic zones Alain Akoualala Atipault, La Sape has shown things better where Congo seems to have come back to life after years of civil war.
It is known that violence and fighting are characteristics that are in no way compatible with the moral behavior of Sapeurs. Their unbelievably flamboyant nature served as a light to disenfranchised Congolese youth, guiding them away from the Third world to modern cosmopolitanism.
Their appearance is very distinctive, wearing branded and expensive clothes. But in fact they are not rich people. Sapeur are people who live in Brazzaville, the big city of Congo. Their occupations are generally taxi drivers, farmers, and carpenters. Although Sapeur's life may seem impressive at first glance, it is certainly not without a dark side.
While most people make enough money to eat is a priority, for Sapeur, earning enough money to buy French or Italian designer hats and top brand clothes is a priority.
Given the extreme poverty in the slum towns of Sapeur, it causes concern because it seems as if fashion has taken over the basic human needs.
In addition, Sapeur actually praised themselves for their ability to be able to wash, and stay clean and hygienic, in a country with limited water supplies.
In fact, they also sacrifice the opportunity to move to a better house, buy a car or pay for their children's school fees, to be able to fulfill their fashion desires. Many resort to illegal means to obtain the clothes they want, some have also ended up behind bars.
