Story highlights
No kitsch knitwear, mistletoe or eggnog, African creatives will celebrating the holidays their own way
Think big weddings, lots of flavors and an elaborately dressed table
Christmas: friends, family…and Instagram. With parties galore, there’s no better time to capture your pictures and post them to the popular social networking site.
To help you get it right, we caught up with some of the continent’s most creative Instagrammers to see how you can make the most of the holiday season.
Jacqueline Kaliisa, restaurateur, Cameroon
What do you love most about the holiday season?
My favorite thing about working during this season is the energy and the spirit that fills the air. Families are reunited with their loved ones from diaspora. Everyone is in a celebratory mood, there are parties everywhere and people are spending money which obviously boosts the economy.
I will be spending my Christmas serving guests at IYA Buea, and getting them to try the Mafe sauce – commonly known as peanut stew in Cameroon – created for us by renowned chef Dieuveil Malonga.
What are your top tips for surviving the holidays?
Preparation is key. We need to ensure that all our food and drinks are well stocked! When hosting at home, it’s good to create exciting menus for guests to try out and provide entertainment.
What would you recommend for an Instagrammable Christmas?
Visit stunning locations for beautiful shots. One of the places I can recommend in Cameroon is Seme Beach.
Banke Meshida Lawal, makeup artist, Nigeria
What do you love most about the holiday season?
The weddings! In many parts of Africa, this time of year is seasonal not for Christmas, but for the many weddings that take place. Even though it can be very draining as the workload is huge, it’s a great feeling to know that you have been an integral part of one of the best days of a woman’s life.
What are your top tips for surviving the holidays?
Wear long-lasting lipsticks! They are the easiest and fastest things to rev up any look. Mix different colors or rock the dark lip look which is very popular right now. We have the most beautiful lip colors around these days!
Also, get your skin perfect for the holidays. Use a great moisturizer for facial skin (Nigeria’s dry Harmattan weather can be unforgiving), exfoliate and have a relaxing facial as well.
What would you recommend for an Instagrammable Christmas?
If you decide to go away on holiday, take beautiful photos using the ‘sun’ filter. Works all the time! There are also lots of wedding parties this time of the year so get your makeup done for picture perfect selfies!
Maryam Montague, hotelier, Morocco
What do you love most about the holiday season?
The holidays are all about gatherings with friends and family, so I know when I am designing that it will be appreciated by those I love most. That’s a great motivator to go the extra mile!
What are your top tips for surviving the holidays?
Avoid the standbys like holly, pine, and tinsel and introduce more original elements. Hang Marrakesh tassels instead of ornaments on your tree, wrap napkins on your table with African glass beads and serve eggnog in brightly colored Moroccan tea glasses.”
As there are a lot of evening events during the holiday season, I love to create some high drama with moody dark colors (black, indigo and eggplant) crossed with metallics, especially gold and copper. I also adore using vintage Moroccan candelabras on coffee tables to amp up the glamor.
What would you recommend for an Instagrammable Christmas?
Natural light is always best, so if you are creating beautiful table dressings for the holiday, make sure to set the table during the day so that you can take your pictures when there is still plenty of light.”