Adocumentaryunveiled the life about Congo Dandies, men in Congo Brazzaville who are living in poverty but want to spend like millionaires. ‘Sapeurs’ as they call themselves, are members of the ‘La Sape’ movement (The Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People) who spend money on designer clothes even though most of them stay in mud houses and their families live in dire poverty.
One of the men who were interviewed in this documentary bragged about owning expensive suits and shoes from Italy. "It’s all about style and elegance, when I turn heads I feel like a king,” he said.
To afford the luxury of their designer clothes, ‘sapeurs’ have to save, borrow and even steal money.
In an era where fancy cars and expensive designer clothes are everywhere, double this with the pressure from social media influence where people are ‘living for the gram’, increased pressure to conform to this fast-paced life has tempted many to live beyond their means.
However is it all necessary?
Rogers Munyaneza, a banker, says if one is not cautious, they can easily be taken by the band wagon.
"Everyone wants to live a good life but let’s do this with wisdom. You can’t earn Rwf 300,000 and spend like someone who earns a million francs,” he says.
Munyaneza believes that it’s the "syndrome of people wanting to live like others” and the need to keep up appearances with societal pressure that makes some people spend more than they can afford.
Robert Mihigo, a software engineer, says all of this hails from the fact that some people want to live a comfortable life, yet they don’t want to work for it.
He wonders how some people go to the lengths of splurging money to meet their seemingly unnecessary needs even when their incomes aren’t high.
"Some even take unnecessary loans to meet their unnecessary spending, for example, I will never understand why one would take a loan to organise a wedding or buy a luxurious car they would certainly manage to do without,” he says.
Jackline Karungi, an accountant, says people are now living their lives for social media. They want to post photos on Instagram about their fabulous lives and this means investing in it, she says.
"A person can spend money on shopping so that they post the photo on Instagram. They will even buy that expensive attire they saw Rihanna or Kim Kardashian wearing in a photo they posted on their Instagram page,” she says.
Karungi calls this absurd and advises people to learn how to mind their lives and care less about what other people think.
An article published on The Financial Samurai website shows that people spending more than they make is a result of a number of factors, including the need to keep up with others.
"You will see your neighbour’s new car and want to buy a new car yourself. Now with social media, you get to keep track of all your friends’ great lives; we are now bombarded more than ever by people who want to share with us how great their lives are. As a result, we need to do the same, or else we start feeling inadequate,” the article read.
It also noted that self-esteem is another factor that plays around this. "When people lack self-esteem, they turn to things that make them feel better about themselves. We are bombarded on a daily basis by how society thinks we should look and dress. The fact of the matter is the TV and movie industries purposefully choose the most attractive people who barely exist in our daily lives. When all you see is someone really attractive, really wealthy, or even really good, it’s inevitable to start feeling inadequate.”
Financial analyst Isaac Nkusi believes that spending habits result from a combination of culture, personal desire and financial goals, or lack thereof.
Marketing or advertising is affecting the way people consume internationally, he says.
"We can also see how credit mindedness has given most societies an attitude towards purchasing things now and paying in the future for them (especially consumables). This also contributes to overspending and using credit for consumption rather than investment functions, thus leaving people with continuous debt.”
What this means in the long run
Ultimately, this means such people are building debt over their lifetime, always living hand-to-mouth or pay check to pay check, and are constantly vulnerable to financial shocks like losing a job/piece of business, failing to make monthly loan payments leaving them in a difficult financial position where they may lose assets to their debtors, the financial analyst says.
Nkusi commends a balance between the things people need and those they want but says, however, that for one to achieve this, it depends on their personal philosophy on money and life.
"No one can fulfil all the desires (wants) of their heart when it comes to what money can buy for you. Humanity and life on this earth has limitations. Even the richest man on the planet cannot satisfy all his desires with all the money he has, because life itself is limited,” he says.
"When we have this level of financial understanding or intelligence, then we will be in a better place to control, plan, budget, invest and grow our money while still living a desirable lifestyle (within the limits of our resources),” he adds.
Nkusi cautions that without a savings culture, personally or nationally, there is no way to financially progress in a sustainable fashion. Savings of some kind is necessary to have some resources to invest in progress and the future.
He says a savings culture is something that can be developed without too much difficulty if someone is committed to learning how to do it.
"It’s all about getting the right education on money management, and then having access to products and services that can help you get started and keep on the savings (money management) path. Saving is a long distance race, a marathon, you don’t have to run fast, but you do have to keep moving, be committed and consistent to win.”
YOUR VOICE
How best can people control their spending?
We should work around the saying "man know thy self.” We should know who we are and our ability to live the life in the class we belong to. Then we will avoid overspending, which comes from the desire to live like those who are in a class we admire.
Ronnie Kibagajjo, Student
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At times it’s the condition that makes some people spend too much but I believe through experience, one can learn how to handle their finances. When one goes through the tough conditions of bad planning, they learn and next time they plan well.
Lyna Nyamwiza, Administrative assistant
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People should always spend mainly on the things they need instead of spending on luxurious things. Necessities should be the priority instead of having debts all over things the place.
Giselle Umuhire- Administrator
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If one is to manage their spending, they should avoid over spending on luxuries. One can also make a budget ahead of receiving their salary, this helps in planning ahead and proper allocation of money.
Henry Malumba, Architect
editorial@newtimes.co.rw