{"product_id":"sapeurs-ladies-gentlemen-of-the-congo-9783868289732","title":"Sapeurs: Ladies \u0026 Gentlemen of the Congo","description":"British photographer \u003cb\u003eTariq Zaidi\u003c\/b\u003e presents a fashion subculture of Kinshasa \u0026amp; Brazzaville: La Sape, Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (\"Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People\"). Its followers are known as  Sapeurs  ( Sapeuses  for women). Most have ordinary day jobs as taxi-drivers, tailors and gardeners, but as soon as they clock off they transform themselves into debonair dandies. Sashaying through the streets they are treated like rock stars - turning heads, bringing 'joie de vivre' to their communities and defying their circumstances. Traditionally passed down through the male line, many Congolese women and their children have recently begun donning designer suits. As Papa Wemba (1949-2016, Congolese singer and fashion icon who popularized Sape) once said:  White people invented the clothes, but we make an art of it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kehrer Verlag\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/08\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9783868289732\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.80h x 7.60w x 0.80d","brand":"Tariq Zaidi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38026077110453,"sku":"9783868289732","price":35.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_c3276271-e7eb-49b2-a056-a462a71c8fc8.jpg?v=1609189355","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/sapeurs-ladies-gentlemen-of-the-congo-9783868289732","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}