The lawns of the Alliance Française de Karachi looked vibrant as twinkling fairy lights added festive feels to a cool December evening, filling it with some much-needed winter cheer, thanks to its Christmas Market. Gleaming stalls and kiosks lined the pathways, as their counters were laden with handcrafted ornaments, sweet and sour treats, rows of sartorial wonders and much more. Clusters of visitors, wrapped in light sweaters and shawls, thronged towards them one after another, keeping vendors and sellers on their feet and joyous.
As one enters the market’s premises, soft melodies of Christmas carols overtake the chaos of Karachi beyond the gates of this cosy French cultural centre. I find myself standing beneath a canopy of lights and surrounded by the charm of festive spirit, with colours and lights engulfing me.
But what caught my eye were two women-led, Christian-owned stalls that made a place for themselves in the mix. While one stall had handmade jewellery and clothes to offer, another boasted a variety of items, including handmade Christmas décor, jewellery, paintings, and even organic skincare. This was not only a platform for these entrepreneurs to showcase their products, but also cemented the idea that Pakistan, particularly Karachi, believes in coexistence and pluralism.
Wendy Lobo, one of the stall owners, told Geo.tv that participating in the Christmas Market as a Christian-owned handcrafted business was truly heart-warming.
“It felt empowering to represent our faith and creativity, and the response from visitors and fellow vendors was overwhelmingly supportive, respectful, and encouraging,” she added.
Lobo, who is a corporate employee by day, has a penchant for crafting as well as making organic and chemical-free skincare products. Her small idea to turn her crafting hobby into an invested side-hustle turned into a reality when she established her small home-based business, Wendeerey’s. Lobo, with support from her family, has since started working towards expanding it and eventually introducing it to exhibitions, including this Christmas Market.
The presence of Wendeerey’s, according to Lobo, reflected the beautiful religious diversity of Karachi, where people from different faiths can come together to celebrate art, culture, and shared values.
“Events like these foster understanding, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence,” she maintained.
For Lobo, it is important for people to celebrate each other’s festivities in Karachi, a city which is so “diverse”.
“Through our Christmas-themed stall, we hoped to share a message of love, inclusivity, and joy — values that go beyond religion and connect us all. We are grateful for the opportunity and hope to continue contributing to platforms that celebrate unity through creativity,” she added.
Lobo said she would love to see more such platforms regularly made available to businesses like hers and at reasonable rates, as it will help continue and thrive the “old Karachi spirit of celebrating each other’s festivals together”.
“Such spaces not only bring communities closer but also give small businesses from different faiths — including ours — the opportunity to be seen, supported, and celebrated,” added Lobo.
On the other hand, there was a stall led by Pastor Ghazala Shafique — founder of the Bait-ul-Momneen Church, who — along with a group of girls residing at the shelter of the church — offered a variety of handmade jewellery at the market, as well as a ready-to-wear (RTW) variety of eastern and western wear created by a trans member of the shelter.
Speaking with Geo.tv, Pastor Ghazala shared how this opportunity to set up a stall offered these girls — who are survivors of underage marriage and forced conversions — and the members of the trans community, with a platform to showcase their talents due to their small online craft and RTW shop, Genesis Provisions, and also emphasised on the need for more such events that promote religious harmony and coexistence.
“This Christmas Market promoted peace and harmony because here we saw people coming from all religious backgrounds. We didn’t see any discrimination. The most important part was that this platform provided an avenue to the vulnerable members of society. Children from slum areas in the city were also welcomed here and given presents ahead of the festival. There was no discrimination and inequality here,” said Pastor Ghazala.
She added that the girls are really happy that their handcrafted items have been sold and gotten such traction from stall visitors.
Sajal Shafique, who oversees the shelter with Pastor Ghazala, said that their community and children were welcomed by the organisers of the market for singing Christmas carols and participation since its first event in the city in 2021.
“This time around, the girls set up this stall as well to display their crafting talent. One of the great things about it was that the organisers didn’t charge us for this stall, which is a welcoming step for the Christian community,” she said.
When asked how the response has been for the girls, Sajal turned towards them and confirmed that it has been overwhelmingly positive.
Neha, one of the girls overseeing the stall, told Geo.tv that she — along with her friends from the shelter — had made the jewellery and sample embroidered fabric in one week, and it was exciting to bring their crafted items to the Christmas Market.
“We are really excited for Christmas, and this platform gave us the opportunity to present our work here.”
Sundus Rasheed — the chief executive officer at the Media Republic, which has been organising the Christmas Market every year since 2021 — spoke about the significance of putting together an event like this that not only provides a platform to small businesses that deserve to be given access to spaces like this, but also instils religious harmony among people.
“Karachi runs on small businesses. They are the pulse of the city. It is so important for all the diverse communities of Karachi to have equal access to ease of business and buyers. Doing business together is one of the most fruitful ways of bringing communities together. Business requires mutual respect and understanding.”
“Such events,” she told Geo.tv, “bring communities together not just through celebration but also as a way of de-othering and de-mystifying any preconceived notions we may have about others”.
“We still get asked why do you have a Christmas market even though you’re Muslim,” Rasheed shared.
Living in Karachi, according to Rasheed, everyone needs an excuse for celebration.
“We should all be getting together for Christmas, Diwali, Nauroz, Eid. We should be hiring teams from different communities, so no business has to shut down for a religious holiday. Diversity and harmony make economic sense!”
She added that the message her team wants to send is that “Karachi is diverse, it is inclusive, and it is business-friendly!”
