S.A.P.E.
Photobook with the collaboration of Alain Mabanckou
S.A.P.E. won the Grand Prix du Livre de Mode 2014
La Sape questions the modes of reappropriation of dominant culture and the complexity of post-colonial identities.
The S.A.P.E., or Société des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elégantes, is a sartorial and cultural phenomenon inspired by dandyism, which appeared in Congo during its colonization by the French.
Congolese Sapeurs today maintain this myth of Parisian sophistication by adorning themselves in their finest attire and elegantly parading through the streets of Brazzaville. Respected by their community, they gather around common tastes and values, working to improve their style and their gestures, with the aim of achieving originality and distinction. In doing so, they pursue a great dream: to travel to Paris and return to Brazzaville as ambassadors of elegance.
La Sape questions the modes of reappropriation of dominant culture and the complexity of post-colonial identities. Brilliance against gloom, the Sapeurs offer a whimsical model of emancipation to mask the sometimes difficult realities of migration.
A true postmodern "logos," La Sape symbolizes the journey of these modern dandies, for whom daily appearance is an issue that far exceeds frivolity: he who commands respect through his style is, ultimately, master of himself.
Critrics
« A stylish monograph. » Nicolas Michel, Jeune Afrique
« The height of elegance. » Le Journal de la Photographie
« Eschewing clichés and easy exoticism, his gaze encompasses all the meanings of this movement (social, cultural, and even political), revealing, among other things, the complexity of post-colonial identities and a true dramatic tension. » Photo.fr
« This is fashion in its most essential form: the expression of an inner reality, a political discourse, an affirmation of the individual in society. » Télérama.fr
« Héctor Mediavilla... strives to show the Sapeurs in their environment, their inventiveness, and the fantasy of their vibrant outfits, a permanent challenge to minds. » Brigitte Ollier, Libération
« For 7 years, the photographer followed these extravagant elegants in the Bacongo district and in Paris, as they paraded in public places. And this book is a tribute to this movement born in the 1920s... which, far from gathering only dandies eager to show off, represents in Africa a codified mode of political and social expression. » Véronique Rossignol, Livres Hebdo
« A stunning cultural phenomenon. » Pierre Haski, Rue89
« More than a matter of fashion, La Sape is a religion whose grandeur and madness photographer Héctor Mediavilla has captured in a superb monograph. » Marguerite Baux, Grazia
« The photographer Héctor Mediavilla delivers a remarkable work on the world of these men (...) Far from the exotic clichés present in certain sensational TV reports, Héctor Mediavilla immerses the viewer of his photos in the daily life of these dandies and in the multiple social, political, and cultural meanings that this movement carries. » Easyvoyage.com
« The book is printed on beautiful matte paper, and an independent travel notebook is slipped into the back cover. A success! » Réponses Photo
« A sensitive, sometimes intimate immersion that gives us the keys to this universe. » Frédérique Briard, Marianne
« A dazzling crisscross! » Magazine Books
« Spanish photographer Héctor Mediavilla has created portraits of these dandies. To be savored in a very beautiful book. » Caroline Stevan, Le Temps
BOOK AVAILABLE AT THIS WEBSITE AND SPECIALIZED BOOK STORES
Specifications
First edition: 2.000 copies
Photographs: Héctor Mediavilla
Texts: Alain Mabanckou, Héctor Mediavilla, Masasam
All texts in English, French and Spanish
Design: Stephano Bianchi
Edition: Héctor Mediavilla
Prepress: Stephano Bianchi
24 x 18 cm
Printing: Artegraf (Florencia, Italy)
Hardcover
168 pages
31 colour photographs and one black and white drawing
Price: 39€.
Publication date: March 2013