Plaza House photo exhibition is dedicated to African dandy

A group of sapeur pose in a Brazzaville slum. (Photo .AN)

A group of sapeur pose in a Brazzaville slum. (Photo .AN)

The 3rd floor Gallery & Space in the Plaza House Shopping Center will have a photo exhibition from Jul. 23 through Aug. 28 that focuses on Congolese ‘sapeur’, African men who are a part of a social movement centered in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.

Their name ‘sapeur’ is derived from ‘La Sape’ that is an abbreviation of a French language phrase ‘Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (The Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People).

The sapeur trademark is their elegant style and manners derived from the men in the Congolese society in the colonial area, who wore their flashy clothes as a symbol of resistance in stark contracts to the environment they lived in, often spending money on their flashy clothes imported from Paris and London even when they were starving. Another trademark is their insistence on non-violence.

In the 80’s sapeur were barred from wearing their attire in public spaces, but have now had a revival, are respected and admired, and considered a part of the Congolese cultural heritage.

On the first day of the exhibition, six sapeurs will be present to attend the opening ceremony at 11:00. On the same day, a welcome ceremony and party for the six sapeurs is scheduled to take place at the Chatan Harbor Brewery & Restaurant starting at 19:00. Tickets to the party are ¥5,000 that includes food, drinks and a ticket to the exhibition. Tickets are available at Rycom Anthropology, Plaza House Shopping Center 3F (tel. 098-933-1142) and at Chatan Harbor Brewery & Restaurant (tel. 098-926-1118) located next to Fisherina Uminchu Wharf.

On Sunday, July 24, there’s a sapeur fashion show from 15:00 to 19:00 at Plaza House Shopping Center followed by a photo session.

The Sapeur exhibition at the 3F Gallery & Space in Plaza House opens Jul. 23. It’s open every day from 11:00 to 19:00. Admission to the exhibition is ¥500 for persons of high school age and older.

 

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00:21 29 Mar , 2024