The Importance of Being Elegant

Set to the soundtrack of Papa Wemba's extraordinary music, this outrageous, funny and eye-opening film depicts the underground world of a flamboyant African cult. Papa Wemba is a well-known Congolese singer. He is also a big cheese in Le Sape, the Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, which translated into English means a society of people who spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes with the motive of making themselves as conspicuously elegant as possible. The film is a splendid evocation of Papa Wemba's music, but it is also an unusual insight into what it means to be an immigrant in contemporary Europe. The sapeur have borrowed from our own culture, creating something rich and strange and wholly Congolese. Don't miss the scene where they try on fur coats.

Papa Wemba

Self

Anti-Gigolo

Self

Archibishop of La Sape

Self

Mere Malou

Self

Minister of the Budget

Self

Minister of the Attack

Self

Poison

Papa Wemba's bodyguard

• Cosima SpenderDirector
• George AmponsahDirector · Producer
• Laurent BocahutExecutive Producer
• Tom RobertsExecutive Producer
• Valerio BonelliEditor

Release date

August 14, 2004

Status

Released

Original language

French

Runtime

1h 10m

Rated

PG

Budget

$250,000

Genres

Documentary