When you think of Africa, what comes to your mind? It may be poverty, infectious diseases, hunger, or war, ignorance, humidity and heat... In short, in the eyes of most people, Africa is an extremely backward existence. Here, it is not easy for ordinary people to catch up with the world average in their lives, let alone luxury goods and big-name clothing, which are the "patent" of the rich.
However, in the Congo region of Africa, there is a group of exquisite fashion "pagans" who wear new Armani suits, limited-edition Langdanze leather shoes, and classic Hermès bags every day, walking in shabby and dirty neighborhoods. on the streets, carefully stepping over sewage pools and garbage dumps. If you see these "black tide men" who call themselves Sapp while traveling in Congo, don't doubt that they are ordinary people living there.
The Congo region we often refer to is actually two countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are located on both sides of the Congo River and are named after this river. When referring to one of these two countries, people distinguish them by their capitals, namely Congo (Brazzaville) and Congo (DRC), corresponding to Brazzaville and Kinsasha, where the members of the SAP Association are concentrated. Two cities nearby.
Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Like the gang wars in poorly written martial arts novels, the Sapp associations in Brazzaville and Kinshasa will fight against each other, with no one convinced by the other. Although these more than 6,000 enthusiasts all claim that Sapp means "elegant people who create atmosphere", their pursuit of Sapp is different.
The "old aristocracy" from Brazzaville pay attention to simplicity and elegance. There is an iron rule among them that no more than three color combinations of each item can be used. If a Sapp lover fails to abide by this iron rule at a party, he will be laughed at for not being a gentleman.
Sap lovers in Kinshasa are "renovators". Under the influence of hip-hop culture, they pursue the visual impact brought by exaggerated colors. In ordinary gatherings, whoever's color combination is bold, bright, and elegant will definitely be sought after.
The "old aristocracy" believed that the other party's fancy matching was too exaggerated and not elegant enough, and did not fully demonstrate the charm of the "Sapiyashi". The "renovators" believe that the other party is limited by the so-called iron law, which will limit the creativity of the trend. Moreover, the clothes of the "old aristocrats" are not as expensive as theirs. When standing together, the "old aristocrats" are only qualified to be secretaries.
Although there are differences in the style of dressing, the two groups can also seek common ground while reserving differences. They often meet for gatherings and have "friendly exchanges." After all, both groups share the same goal: that gorgeous clothing can bring comfort and allow them to find some support in a hard life.
Sapp lovers enjoy themselves in hardship, pursuing spiritual support and fanatical belief, not eradicating dissidents and unifying the world.
The vast majority of Sapp enthusiasts live at the bottom of society, from market vendors to taxi drivers to small employees in ordinary companies. Although they do not have high incomes, they have Famous brands must be authentic. Even second-hand goods that have been circulated several times have more "soul" than fakes.
These Sapp lovers may live in ramshackle shacks and work in unkempt jobs. But once they have free time, they will transform into the most gorgeous and exquisite "street runners", standing in concave shapes on the roadside, enjoying the baptism of passers-by's eyes. If you meet other people who like you on the same road at this time, you can't wait to have the price of the clothes written on your face and compete with them.
In order to enjoy the highlight moment on the street, each of them has become an experienced "local eater".
Loan installments are all trivial. Some people even misappropriated money from their father's company to buy luxury goods, causing the capital chain to break and the family to go bankrupt.
Many people cannot understand this extreme behavior of trying to make someone look fat. They believe that Sapp enthusiasts not only spend all their family money, but even go into debt, which is an extremely irresponsible behavior towards their families. And the faith and love they talk about are just excuses for their own vanity and selfishness.
Sapp lovers certainly know what the outside world thinks of them, but they still go their own way. Their pursuit of exquisite clothing can be called fanatical. Where does this persistent sense of belief come from?
Sapp comes from the French word "sapper". The origin of this imported word and Sapp enthusiasts can be traced back to the beginning of the last century.
In the early 20th century, as the results of the Industrial Revolution continued to expand, countries such as Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire quietly emerged, and the colonial rule emerged when they divided colonial interests with already-rising behemoths such as the British Empire and the Russian Empire. contradiction.
As a result, Europe divided into two camps. One is the Allied Powers representing the interests of new colonialism, and the other is the Entente Powers representing the interests of old colonialism. The two sides started the First World War on July 28, 1914.
At that time, Congo (Brazzaville) was a French colony and sent a large number of young soldiers to Europe to fight for France. Coming to the "civilized world" from poor and backward Africa, some Congolese soldiers were deeply impressed by the romantic and elegant French culture, and began to imitate the French dressing style and living habits.
After the First World War, they returned to their hometown and brought this style of clothing and spirit with them. The soldiers shocked the locals by making them realize that elegance and elegance were not just Europeans.
Among them, the most popular man is called Andre Massois, who is called "the great soldier". His followers called themselves "Sap", the French word for "soldier". But at that time, due to practical conditions, the influence of the original Sapps was not great, and their scope of influence was limited to the people around them.
It was not until 40 years later that the Belgian Congo (later the Democratic Republic of the Congo) declared independence. After finally breaking away from the colonial rule of Belgium, the new government naturally rejected Western culture and strictly prohibited people from wearing Western clothes. Sapp lovers were persecuted.
At that time, there was a singer named Papa Wenba. He was deeply influenced by his father, who was also a Sap enthusiast, and he always wanted to let everyone accept this culture. This ban became an opportunity. He bravely stood up to oppose the government, calling on everyone to "dress elegantly" and took the lead in wearing gorgeous suits during performances.
Thanks to Papa’s popularity, many people quickly responded to the call and joined the ranks of Sapp fans. Seeing that more and more people were participating in the SAP movement, the government had no choice but to revoke this regulation, and the SAP Association won. This movement not only stems from hobby, but also reflects the Congolese people’s pursuit of self-rights.
Today, people are becoming more and more tolerant of multiculturalism, and Sapp culture has conquered many people with its extremely refined pursuit. Around the world, more and more young people know about them through documentaries, fashion magazines and music videos, and join them spontaneously. In 2015, they were also invited to go to Paris Fashion Week to catwalk, which shows that the persistence of Sapp fans for many years has finally been seen.
Just as a poem by the great genius Tang Bohu said: "Others laugh at me for being crazy, but I laugh at others because they can't see through it.
"In the poor and backward central and western Africa, when most people who are tired of life pass by exquisite and elegant Sapp lovers on the streets, they may turn a blind eye or dismiss them, but they will never understand them. The kind of joy that saves hope with love