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The Belgian Congo was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
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Soukous is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, with faster dance rhythms and bright, intricate guitar improvisation, and gained popularity in the 1980s in France. Although often used by journalists as a synonym for Congolese rumba, both the music and dance associated with soukous differ from more traditional rumba, especially in its higher tempo, song structures and longer dance sequences.
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La Sape, an abbreviation based on the phrase Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes and hinting to the French slang word sape which means "clothes" or sapé, which means "dressed up", is a subculture centered on the cities of Kinshasa and Brazzaville in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of Congo respectively. An adherent of La Sape is known as a sapeur or, if female, as a sapeuse. The movement embodies the elegance in style and manners of colonial predecessor dandies.
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References
- 1 2 Catsoulis, Jeanette (November 9, 2005), "Saturday Night Peacocks in Squalid South Africa", The New York Times
- ↑ Felperin, Leslie (Jan 17, 2005), "The Swenkas", Variety
- ↑ Fleminger, David, "Swanky Swenkas: dressing sharp regardless of cost", Vice
- ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (2005-11-09). "Saturday Night Peacocks in Squalid South Africa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-01-05.
