I and We

Social and cultural developments in Africa are not simply a matter of copying worldwide trends, as demonstrated by flourishing subcultures like Botswana’s heavy metal scene or the sapeurs in the Republic of Congo. Both groups avail themselves of western styling: either studded leather or dapper suits and panama hats. Yet the aesthetic codes are reinterpreted until a new, unique and distinctly African cultural form emerges. Fashion is also employed as a vehicle for exploring the boundaries between the sexes – from seduction to gender roles – and it supplies a means of expression for sexual minorities.