Day 6 – Brazzaville

Our last day in Congo-Brazzaville was mainly the sights of the capital city, before we take the flight out of the country late night.

Brazzaville City Highlights

First stop was the street named after the South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, because Brazzaville was the first city he visited after winning the presidency.

 

Next stop in the city center is the Monument dedicated to the colonial history of Congo – this arch-like monument also known as “The People Speak to the People”, has frescos depicting the history of Africa and Congo before the colonial period, during the colonial period, and until the Congolese revolution.

 

 

 

Some of the other well-known monuments we visited are:

• Brazzaville Railway Station
• Patrimoine statue representing Congolese patrimony
• Nabembe Tower
• De Brazza’s Mausoleum – dedicated to the Italian explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who found Brazzaville, and was a part of the colonial ruling. In a country where politics is often intertwined with traditional beliefs about sorcery, the building is believed to be a kind of Skull and Bones of Equatorial Africa, a place where a shadowy African elite meets to plot the future of the continent. Anyone who enters risks coming under the spell of powerful leaders—and may not emerge alive. Hence the empty building at the heart of the city!
• Sainte-Anne Basilica – Cathedral built in 1949, in memory of the pioneers of French Equatorial Africa, whose capital was in Brazzaville. It’s easily one of the city’s most striking buildings, with its dazzling green roof and carved copper doors.
• Sacred Heart Cathedral – The church is the seat of the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville and is the oldest existing cathedral in central Africa. The building was built in 1892 and consecrated in 1894. The space was renovated in 1952 and 1993. The main entrance faces east and is decorated with two large polychrome statues of St. Paul and St. Peter, dating from before 1914.
• Twin Towers of Hilton Hotel
• I love Brazzaville sign
• Poto-Poto Painting School – Pierre Lods established the Poto-Poto painting school in 1951. It was the first painting school established in Sub-Saharan Africa where several Congolese and African painters have been educated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent about 4-5 hours visiting all the monuments in Brazzaville, and after lunch at Les Rapides restaurant, which has the best views of the Congo river, we visited the oldest bridge in Brazzaville, which used to be blockaded during the colonial era and anyone passing through the bridge inside the city required a special permit. This merger of Djoue river in to the Congo river can be seen from this bridge.

 

The final stop in the capital city was to witness the uber-fashionable Sapeurs at Chez Deguy cafe in Bacongo neighborhood.

Sapeurs in Brazzaville

In the Congo, a sapeur is someone who belongs to the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes, or S.A.P.E for short. This translates as something like “The Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People”.

The Sapeurs are a subculture known for their emphasis on style and elegance – particularly in how their members dress – it’s an art – a form of self-expression. There are different groups of Sapeurs and on different occasions (maybe a few times a month they get together and dress up.

La Sape goes back to the Colonial Period in Africa. During the 1920s a major influence on the Congolese elite were West African colonial workers who came to the Congo (“Coastmen”). These colonial workers served as inspiration for the Congolese elite “to combat ingrained charges of inferiority levelled at them” by French and Belgian colonialism.

“Captivated by the snobbery and refined elegance of the Coast Men’s attire, Congolese houseboys spurned their masters’ secondhand clothes and became unremitting consumers and fervent connoisseurs, spending their meager wages extravagantly to acquire the latest fashions from Paris.”, said one Sapeur.

During the postcolonial period, economic chaos in the Congos meant many were jobless and numerous Congolese moved to western cities to search for work. Since they were not very welcome, La Sape acted as a refuge to cope with European life.

Being a sapeur can be very expensive – owning several dozen designer suits. One mentioned he sourced almost all of his wardrobe from second hand clothes shops. Most of them are self-funded. But he says the cost is worth it – the honor to uphold the culture, and making a statement about equality, politics and community. They definitely have a powerful presence! Anyone – as long as you adhere to the criteria. They mentioned you should be personable, have a job so you can pay for the enormous wardrobe expenses (some have canes, ornate pipes and hats too!), learn how to dress (textures are important), how to mix colors (no more than 3 in an outfit ideally) and most importantly how to walk (being a sapeur is not only about putting together the outfit but modelling it too).

Special ‘tours’ of the Sapeurs can be arranged by your tour guides, but if you prefer to see them without a tour then head to Chez Deguy in Bacongo area of Brazzaville. This cafe is well-known to see the Sapeurs in their natural habitat every evening. Arrive here at 5pm, find a seat, order food and drinks and get comfortable! The sapeurs linger around the people and you can take pictures with them in exchange for some drinks.

We got a special-meet with the Sapeurs in the afternoon at Chez Deguy.

 

 

 

 

At the end of day, we headed back to the hotel, relaxed for a while and headed out for a final walk along the Independence Bridge (Pont du 15 aout 1960), dedicated after the independence of Congo-Brazzaville on 15 August 1960, and well-known for its night-time illuminations.

 

 

It was our last night in Congo-Brazzaville, and we headed to the airport early next morning for a flight out of this beautiful country!

Congo-Brazzaville story highlights on Instagram This trip report can also be seen on our story highlights on Instagram account @travelonthedollar. Click the image on left to go directly to Congo-Brazzaville Highlights, or visit our Instagram profile and under ‘Highlights’, scroll to the right and click on ‘Congo-ROC 1’.

 

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = XAF 585 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult. Note that the expenses do not include international flights to and from Congo-Brazzaville.
 

What	Cost	Notes
Drinks	$8.55	XAF 5000. Beers for Sapeurs at Chez Deguy.
Day Costs	$8.55	Per person
Overall Costs	$4,415.91	Per person

 

 
  #Africa #Brazzaville #Congo-Brazzaville #Itinerary #RepublicofCongo #TripReport