LES SAPEURS BY PER-ANDERS PETTERSSON
“Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant People”
Sape is a unique subculture within the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project was photographed by Per-Anders Pettersson in 2012-2019.
Being a Sapeur is more than a way to dress, more than a hobby and more than a way to earn money and gain respect. It is a prestigious brotherhood with its own moral and social codes and ultimately a way of life and survival. Dressing up and parading in the streets makes them feel important, which allows them to forget their daily struggle in a chaotic Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sapeurs try to imitate an exclusive lifestyle that they imagine exists in Europe. Although they are often treated as local celebrities, it is in the poorest neighborhoods that they spend their entire lives, and most will probably never visit cities like Paris or Brussels, the capitals of the countries that colonized the two Congos. Rival Sapeur groups compete for attention and visibility on the streets, and they often appear at major events and on television and radio programs.
Per-Anders Pettersson (born in Borås, Sweden in 1967) is a photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. During his 30-year long career, Pettersson has covered a wide range of international news events, including the first Gulf War, democracy in South Africa starting with the election campaign in 1994, as well as conflicts in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Haiti. He has worked in over thirty-five African countries, covering stories on hunger in Ethiopia, civil wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana and South Africa. Mr. Pettersson has worked in over one hundred countries on assignment for clients worldwide. His pictures have won praise and awards from, among others, World Press Photo, PDN, POY, NPPA, CARE, CHIPP, Unicef Photo of the Year, American Photography and Commarts. He has exhibited several times at Visa pour l’Image Perpignan, as well as at other festivals and galleries, such as Somerset House in London. In September 2013, his first book was published, Rainbow Transit, a look at democracy in South Africa. African Catwalk, a look at the fashion industry in Africa, was published in 2016.
