Thursday July 7, 2005, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain

Daily Life in Cordoba Spain

A girl plays with a ray of sunlight inside the Córdoba mosque-cathedral while some tourists visit the site.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Thursday July 7, 2005, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain

Daily Life in Cordoba Spain

High speed railway station.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday July 6, 2005, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain

Daily Life in Cordoba Spain

A woman walks at the Cairuan pond with the walls of the historic city near the Almodovar gate behind her.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday May 25, 2005, Malaga, Spain

Daily Life in Malaga Spain

Picasso museum interior renovated by the New York architect Richard Gluckman.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday May 25, 2005, Malaga, Spain

Daily Life in Malaga Spain

Aerial view of Marqués de Larios pedestrian street from a Larios hotel room.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday May 25, 2005, Malaga, Spain

Daily Life in Malaga Spain

A couple of friends having tea in La Teteria terrace. The picture is taken from inside and through a window where some tea objects such as tea pots and filtres are displayed. Notice the reflection of the couple in the glass shelves.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday May 25, 2005, Malaga, Spain

Daily Life in Malaga Spain

A young fashion victim man walks with his bulldog in front of the Roman theatre at dusk.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday May 15, 2005, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Daily Life in Barcelona Spain

Glass reflection of the Sagardi tapas bar. There is a reflection of a passer-by and, on the right side, there are clients sat on the terrace from the bar.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Friday February 20, 2004, Paris, Paris, France

Driver having a siesta at the parking place in front the Ritz hotel at the Vend™me square.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Tuesday January 18, 2005, Paris, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

Chrisstian Dior shop seen from the first floor.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Monday December 20, 2004, Paris, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

Chopard shop window from outside.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Saturday December 18, 2004, Paris, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

Chaumet shop from the street.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Saturday January 15, 2005, Paris, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

Vemdome Square, probably the most luxurious square in the world.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday March 6, 2005, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

A group of sapeurs in a Congolese wedding party in the Parisian region of Trappes.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday November 28, 2004, Gargan, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

Sapeur Willy Mamona is in his appartment of Gargan, the Parisian out-skirts, with his couple, Sissi and her son. Willy has not returned to Congo since he left in 1997 because he was contrary to the Government and supported the opposition. Cissi Kitoko has lived in France since she was 5 years-old but she returns every year to Brazzaville, where she is considered a great star, a grande sapeusse.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Friday March 4, 2005, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

The sapeur known as "Le Chomeur du luxe" is about to leave the kitchen of the Chez Tatti café. Tatti is unfocused in the foreground.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Friday November 26, 2004, Villiers sor Marne, Paris, France

Daily Life in Paris

KVV Mouzieto, a grand sapeur who has lived in Paris for 16 years, checks the mail at the entrance of the building where he lives with his family.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday October 17, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic fo Congo

Sapeur Lamam leaves his home, in very poor condition since the last civil war (1997-2000), to do the Sape a Sunday afternoon.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Tuesday October 12, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeur Bienvenue Mouzieto stands in front of his house. He loks down with his hands on his pockets which is his genuine gesture.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday October 20, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeurs from the Republic of Congo

Sapeur Lamam makes a show of the Sspe in avenue Matsoua whereas two clients of a bar take a look at him and a man carries a cart with soft drink bottles.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday October 10, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

A group of sapeurs (Nguaby, Lamam, Germain and Walkese at the back) demonstrate the Sape in Avenue Matsoua a Sunday afternoon.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Friday October 8, 2004, Brazzaville, Republlic of Congo

Sapeur Lamam cleans his shoes with a tissue in Avenue Matsoua. His pipe is on the blue plastc table of the cafe. There are peanuts peels on the ground: they are a popular snack in Congo.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Friday October 8, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeur Lamam walks on the rocks of the Congo river falls. Despite their name, it is only some rapids, and pretends to be a touristic attraction. Some young nacked men are taking a bath or washing their clothes in the river when Lamam arrive to visit the site.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Wednesday October 6, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

A familiar of the sapeur Lamam helps him to put the bow tie properly. Lamam is about to finish to get perfectly dressed in the entrance door of this room. There are many bullets holes in the wall because of the combats of the last civil war (1997-2000).

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday October 3, 2004, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeur Lamam looks outside from a taxi. He is dressed in a tail coat and wears a wooden can and holds a hand-made pipe that he never smokes. It is only a part of the atrezzo. It is Sunday afternoon.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday May 18, 2003, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

A Sunday afternoon, sapeur Lamam gets dressed in his room to go out to do the Sape.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday May 18, 2003, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeur Lamam drinks a local beer whereas a little girl looks at him astonished. It is Sunday afternoon when sapeur Lamam stops in a bar of Avenue Matsoua to have a cold Primus beer. He drinks it straight from the bottle as most Africans.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Thursday May 15, 2003, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeur Allureux choses, among his many pairs of socks, those that perfectly match with his bow-tie at his rented room. One of the principles of the Sape is the match of colours. It is essential to combine a maximum of 3 colors

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Sunday May 11, 2003, Brazaville, Republic of Congo

Sapeur Lamam shows off in front of a large group of young people. Sapeur Lamam performs his gestures with perfection whereas many kids and teenagers regard at him with admiration. He is in front of La Déténte Café, the most popular place for Sunday afternoons among sapeurs of Brazzaville.

Credit: Hector Mediavilla / Polaris

Hector Mediavilla

Héctor Mediavilla was born in 1970. He studied Business Administration for 5 years and got an MBA from ESADE Business School in Barcelona.

Since 2001 he works as an independent documentary photographer for several media and organizations both nationally and internationally. He has published in The New York Times, Business Week, IO Donna (Correo della Sera), Colors Magazine, Le Journal du Dimanche, La Vanguardia, Interviú, El Correu de la Unesco and Gentleman among others.

He regularly does assignments for various NGOs such as Medicins du Monde Espagne and Intermon Oxfam in Africa and Latin America.

He got a grant Fotopres 05 from the Fundació La Caixa to continue with his project about the Congolese Sape.