THE YAYAS DE L´ELÉGANCE
France, 2012, 28 min
Maria José Pavlovic
26.01.2013 19:30
S.A.P.E is a acronyme for the Society of Ambience Makers and Elegant People. The followers of this movement are called "sapeurs"; men devoted to elegant dressing originally from the Congo-Brazzaville, West Africa. Part of a sapeur´s achievement is to settle in Paris, the fashion´s capital so there they can become an experimented, recognised sapeur. In Paris they are called "yayas" a lingala expression to name the elderly, those who deserve respect and recognition within the community; those who have made the journey of the S.A.P.E. Through the story of Fuluzioni Di Aluzioni, Annick Bertin "General Firenze" and Chardel Matsanga, this film tries to reveal the main aspects of this congolese practise.
Independent filmmaker and researcher, Maria José Pavlovic was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. She recently finished her studies in Visual Anthropology at the Granada Centre (University of Manchester, 2012). Since 2006, Maria José has worked and collaborated in different documentary films produced in Chile. Based in Paris, "The Yayas de L´Elégance (2012) is her first film. She is currently developing projects in the Congo - Brazaville, Paris and Ireland.
Director: María Chosé Pavlovic
Production:María Chosé Pavlovic, Frédéric Thooris and The Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology (University of Manchester)
Language of dialogues:French
Language of subtitles: English, Czech
Marjorie is a descendent of Haitian immigrants living in Bahamas. All her life is faced with who she is, who has to be and what she feels by herself.
Samuel was born and raised in Cameroon. He grew up in a society where everyone believed in the existence of witchcraft. Every tragedy and evil was caused by a supernatural being. His childhood was marked by belief in witchcraft and its practices. After five years of studying film production abroad, he returned to his country, this time not to visit his family but to unveil the mysteries and secrets of witchcraft and his childhood nightmares. 
