The Christmas market in Old Montreal shines a light on African entrepreneurs

Looking to find that special gift for someone?

A magical holiday event is taking place in Montreal’s Old Port this weekend — it’s the African Christmas Market that helps celebrate the culture’s creativity.

A number of Montreal-based African entrepreneurs are present, where attendees can discover fashion, art, jewelry and more.

The event is organized by ‘Pagne at Home’ Concept Store.

“We host the African Christmas Market with a diverse creator based here in Montreal, showcasing the excellence of African luxury and craftsmanship,” said Stelly Tchana, founder of Pagne at Home.

Tchana says the store’s creation was inspired by her childhood.

“My mother worked as a diplomat, so I grew up with African luxury. I was born and raised in France, and when I came to Montreal, I saw that there was nothing like this here. I say to myself, we have to to do something and help all the talented designers here in Montreal, but also in Africa, who want to showcase their creations here in Montreal.” she said.

This is her first year hosting the African Christmas Market. She expressed the importance of having events like these.

“It’s really important because Montreal is one of the biggest capitals in the world and there’s no place like here to show that Africa is also luxury, Africa is also fashion and that’s why we’re really at way to show this.”

Participants can discover a range of products from entrepreneurs.

“They offer food, they offer cosmetics, and they also offer fashion — luxury fashion — and they also offer bags and jewelry,” Tchana said.

Luxury brand designers from Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana are also present.

“We have brands from Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and they’re showing what they can do and what we’re doing right now in Africa. To have the opportunity to show it here in Montreal, it’s such a huge opportunity,” said Tchana.

Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh is one of the entrepreneurs present in the market. She is the co-founder of Eloli, an African luxury fashion brand.

“Pagne at Home is a really good idea. It brings together African brands from different countries doing different things. For us, we were here in the summer and really enjoyed meeting the fine people of Montreal and really appreciated the opportunity to be back this holiday season to continue introducing Montreal to Eloli. And I think for this season, if you’re looking for something fun to wear to a great party, Eloli is really the brand to check out, because you can tell we are. We provide these pieces for men and women,” she said.

“One of the things I really love is that you can come here and you meet designers, makers from different parts of Africa, right? And then it really introduces you to what we share and also what’s really distinct by people’s views and what people choose to share this Christmas season,” she added.

Ndeye Sene Mbye is also an entrepreneur. She co-founded Origin Planete, a beverage company that blends sustainability and culture.

“It is very important for us to help other people know about Africa, the prints, the colors, and also the purpose of the brand is to motivate people to drink more water and use less plastic. And since the bottle is very colorful, very African, so here in Montreal, the winter is very dark, very gray, so it’s a way to show another side of Africa,” she said.

“We use many prints from different countries. We also try to make it appealing to a larger audience, so more geometric designs, more colors. And we also use some from our countries. We are from Senegal, so we also got inspiration from Senegal,” she added.

Cindy Matsi also shows off her products from the brand Sineha.

“It is actually a family business. We grow Penja pepper in Cameroon. As if it is an authentic and unique pepper. It only grows there. And so my mission is really to make people understand and get to know this pepper because it has a lot of properties for your health. It’s really good. The taste is unique. Good for spices, good for health, good for natural medicine. So yes, we are just trying to make other products with the pepper so that people can understand that this pepper is not only used for cooking,” said Matsi.

“It’s an opportunity for us to let other people, other cultures, discover the richness and value of our countries,” Matsi added.

As part of the experience, a festive café with African-inspired flavors was also offered.

“This weekend you have the opportunity to discover the flavors of Africa with jams, cakes and enjoy them,” said Tchana.

The Christmas market runs until 22 December.

“Come and check it out and you will be surprised what you will discover here. You get to discover Africa from a different point of view and you will love it and come back and come back again,” said Tchana.