La Sape (the Society of Entertainers and Elegant People) is nothing but a movement of young Congolese who dress themselves in pretentious luxury.
Yet, the phenomenon goes far beyond gratuitous extravagance.
For sapeurs it is both an aesthetic of the body and an original key to interpret the world – and to some extent a social claim for a generation in search of reference points.
The body becomes a vehiclefor expressing a whole art of living.Their secret is simply their poise, thanks to which any clothing item worn by A sapeur immediately gains another dimension. It is not the outfit that makes the sapeur, it is rather a question of personal touch to be learnt over a long period of observation.To become sapeurs, we had to get rid of all Congolese frills and at the same time wash off the colour of our asphalt skins, incompatible with true beauty. Instead of claiming our negritude –as we had been taught by illustrious Black thinkers – we dreamt of a beauty from out- side, from the West, with clothes manufactured abroad.
The Congolese art of dressing is roughly divided into two opposite trends: on the one hand authenticity, on the other La Sape. Authenticity does not exist for sapeurs. While fully denying the local status, La Sape pushes the idea of the crossing, of the journey to Europe and the triumphant return home, along with a complete external metamorphosis.
The concept of return is quite different from the one narrated by Aimé Césaire, the illustrious poet from Martinique. To some extent, La Sape stands at the antipodes of traditional African beauty, that of local fabrics and atavistic elegance.The sapeur, just like the writer of negritude, competes with the colonist: if Europeans are unable to wear the clothes they manufacture, sapeurs will be able to show off their value.
In this sense, elegance is ‘Black’.
On the other hand, others saw in La Sape a consequence of colonization.Some adherents claim that La Sape was inspired by the outfits of colonists, always impeccable with their nice colonial helmets. But, unintentionally, they are corroborating the theory of cultural alienation, of the depersonalization of the African, who has become a puppet of the old colonist. A Black man wearing a white mask.
ALAIN MABANCKOU,
Excerpts from the presentation “Elegance, an art to interpret the world”, in “Daniele Tamagni Style Is Life” book.
testimonials
From the moment Gigi (Giannuzzi) and I first saw Daniele’s images of the Gentlemen of Bacongo we knew it was a special project, and we just had to publish it. Not only were the pictures unique – vivacious and electrifying – but you could tell that the photographer was trusted and had been invited into their community, the subjects were relaxed and in control of their own image, there was a sense of collaboration in the works and not just someone taking the photos as an outsider. Then we got to know Daniele, and it was confirmed that he was someone who invested in the people he photographed, spent time with them and became friends. He gave them the respect and platform they deserved. Other photographers have done the sapeurs but not like Daniele. His images are the definitive iconic images the world knows and loves, and that is an amazing legacy to leave behind. .....The sapeurs taught us so much about style and elegance but also how to live – without Daniele’s images we would be missing out on a small but important, and brightly coloured, corner of the world.
HANNAH WATSON
Director of Trolley Books, Founder of TJ Boulding, London 2023.
From “Daniele Tamagni Style Is Life” book Artist Daniele Tamagni’s photography goes beyond the mere documentation of moments or eras. It encompasses a convincing and seductive exercise in creating moments within the existing ones. In this aspect, he follows in the footsteps of renowned artists like Jacques Henri Lartigue, Eve Arnold, James Barnor and Walker Evans. Tamagni’s images reveal aspects of both the subjects’ personalities and their circumstances, invoking a sense of vulnerability and tenderness even in fraught or chaotic scenarios.Tamagni’s images possess a deceptive quality, where nothing is quite what it seems, and even the ordinary becomes extraordinary. His work encompasses elements of sexuality, style, beauty, politics and social inequality. The combination of his brilliant compositions and these themes form a sublime and potent body of work that resonates with viewers on an emotional and creative level while capturing uncompromising and poetic scenarios from the real world. Tamagni’s iconic and critically acclaimed, Gentlemen of Bacongo series...are proof that despite his tragically short career, the artist’s wonderful photographs continue to captivate with their ability to brilliantly evoke and projectthe essence of the subjects and the world they inhabit.
DURO OLOWU
Fashion designer, Lagos/London, 2023. From “Daniele Tamagni Style Is Life” book.
The Market Photo Workshop’s mission aims to contribute meaningfully to the creative economy, but more than that it encourages the use of photography as an agent of social change. The MPW offers practice-led photographic training courses, outreach projects and archival services that respond to the complex backgrounds of education, culture and identity within a contemporary understanding of photography and the social conditions of South Africa and the continent at large. .....This is done structurally by enabling access to training and mentorship for poor/formally marginalized communities with a keen interest in photography....Like the way Daniele Tamagni worked across disciplines – fashion, art history, video media and music – the MPW shares the values of working across technical industries to enrich and upskill the students with various potential career paths. Daniele’s impact across creative industries illustrates the influence that this kind of practice can afford to emerging photographers....the values of ethical storytelling that inculcate respect for the community within which work is produced and an understanding of the process of photographing as collaboration between photographer and subject is emphasized. From 2013, examples of his seminal series Gentlemen of Bacongo had been included as a reference for technical and visual literacy training on the Foundation Course in Photography Since then, Tamagni’s work has been included in every course, which having now run for ten years has not only introduced his work to these emerging photographers but the engagement with his images and his way of working has been part of the student’s development and training. ...With all these methodological alignments and inclusion of Daniele’s practice in teaching, when Giordano Tamagni contacted the Market Photo Workshop in late 2017 to start discussions on the possibility of a pan-African scholarship programme, the relationship of the Market Photo Workshop with Daniele’s legacy reached its height.
KHONA DLAMINI
Manager of Programmes and projects at Market Photo Workshop, Johannesburg 2023. Extracts from “Daniele Tamagni Style Is Life” book.
