On the anniversary of the passing of Stervos Niarcos, a representative of the Congolese Kitendi (cloth) religion, dandies or “sapeurs” from all across the country congregated in Kinshasa on Friday.
For their art, which is at the core of a distinct culture, the “sapeurs” desire acknowledgment.
It’s like a festival for us “sappeurs” today, remarked female dandy Mama Afrika, because today, February 10, marks the death anniversary of Stervos Niarcos, who spent 28 years underground.
A “sapeur” from Brazzaville named Claudio Benedict Sama Kenegui continued, “Mr. Niarcos lived in Kinshasa and he also lived in Brazzaville, so for me, it is an honor to represent my country today with my colleagues from the DRC to perpetuate this tradition of remembering this illustrious character who has marked us.”
A lot of “sapeurs” desire access to the same chances offered to musicians as well as official acknowledgment from the government.
“You only help the performers and musicians, leaving us sappers behind. You’ve currently traveled to Dubai and Turkey with artists. Not us “sapeurs,” then? According to Six Lokoto, a “sapeur,” we are artists and extremely effective “a member of the Léopards family.
In Brazzaville and Kinshasa during the 1960s and 1970s, the “sapeur” culture spread and developed into a distinctive culture.