Festive sparkle fills ANA courtyard
Tinsel, drums and the sweet smell of roasting peanuts filled the courtyard of the National Handicraft Agency in downtown Brazzaville for 18 straight days, turning the usually quiet administrative space into the liveliest Christmas market the capital has seen this season.
From 17 December to 3 January, more than sixty stalls showcased wood-carved toys, embroidered loincloths and spicy local preserves, drawing a steady flow of families, tourists and last-minute gift-hunters, according to organisers and reporters from public broadcaster Radio Congo.
The fair’s second edition, supported by the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Handicrafts, closed this week with music by a children’s choir and a surprise distribution of presents that quickly became the talk of the Talangaï and Poto-Poto districts.
Craft stalls fuel seasonal commerce
By 9 a.m. most stands were already negotiating last-day discounts, but potter Dany Mvoula still managed to sell twenty sets of terracotta cups in two hours, proof, he laughed, that “a Congolese artisan can compete with any supermarket once people see the quality”.
Organisers estimate that total takings across the fair hover around 95 million FCFA, comparable with last year’s pilot event, though final figures await verification by the National Handicraft Agency’s finance unit to be published in the coming days, the directorate told the national press.
Minister Mikolo spreads Christmas cheer
The climax of the closing ceremony came when Minister Jacqueline Lydia Mikolo, represented by ANA director general Emma Mireille Opa Elion, ordered volunteers to roll out five brightly painted trunks packed with dolls, footballs and educational games before kneeling to greet the youngest participants and posing for selfies shared instantly online nationwide.
“For this second edition we selected 250 children whose parents serve in her ministry so that every family feels the warmth of Christmas,” Opa Elion told reporters, quoting the minister’s instruction to make the gifts fully free of charge.
The children, wearing paper crowns supplied by a local recycling cooperative, queued patiently under an awning while staff called out their names; each left with a wrapped package and a bag of madeleine cakes, a scene captured live by Télé Congo.
Voices of delighted children
Nine-year-old Grâce Ngoma truly summed up the mood: “I thought I would just watch the choir, but I got a doll that closes its eyes—now my little sister and I can play hospital at home”.
Parents standing nearby applauded, some filming on their phones, others praising the ministry’s decision to target employees who, after a year of rising food prices, might have struggled to afford extra gifts.
Sales numbers underline artisan gains
Beyond the festive photos, fair sales show resilience among small producers facing import competition.
Ceramic artist Léon-Marius Oba reported receipts of five million FCFA, echoing figures cited by Opa Elion during her speech: “When an artisan collects five million in just two weeks, you see the appetite Congolese have for home-made products”.
Traders credit the fair’s location, only steps from the main taxi ranks, and a social-media campaign led by young influencers who posted daily reels on Instagram and TikTok, showcasing both products and live concerts after sunset.
Building skills for tomorrow
With the stands dismantled, ANA teams are already drafting a post-event report to propose training workshops in packaging, digital marketing and quality control, hoping to lift the sector’s contribution to national GDP beyond the current two-percent estimate.
Officials also hinted at a travelling craft caravan that could bring the Christmas market concept to Pointe-Noire and Owando later this year, subject to logistics and sponsorship, a plan welcomed by several exhibitors.
For now the colourful posters are coming down, yet the sight of 250 children leaving the courtyard with brand-new toys has given Brazzaville a simple message: local creativity, backed by stable public policy, can still put bright smiles on young faces.
Health and economy in focus
Throughout the event, hand-washing stations dotted the entrance while ANA security scanned temperatures, a routine many visitors said helped them feel safe in a period when seasonal flu and concerns about COVID variants still circulate, especially in densely populated arrondissements.
The agency partnered with the municipal health department to distribute free surgical masks and placed posters encouraging vaccination, a collaboration praised on state radio by Dr. Henri Okemba, who noted that “a healthy shopper is also a better customer for our artisans”.
Economic analyst Irène Bemba, interviewed by the private channel DRTV, linked the fair’s success to “a search for affordable leisure” amid global inflation that has nudged household budgets; she argues that locally sourced gifts cut transport costs and keep money circulating inside Congo.
Vision for the next edition
While acknowledging room for growth, ANA leaders view the 2023-2024 edition as a step toward professionalising crafts, with talks under way for e-catalogues, cash-less tills and joint branding that could, they hope, open export doors without losing the market’s family spirit.
