Creatives that made the 2020 lockdown more bearable

The social media challenges and creatives that made the 2020 lockdown more bearable

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the whole world, from how we socialise to how we work. Luckily, digital creatives have come to our rescue by creating even more dynamic content to keep us entertained, and some of them have struck gold and shot to international stardom.

Elsa Majimbo (@ElsaAngel19)

It’s her laugh, her shades, and her chip-eating brilliance in between witty banter that makes 18-year-old Kenyan Elsa Majimbo among the most-loved social media darlings at the moment. With legions of fans across the continent and overseas, we’ve fallen in love with Elsa because she captures all the stages of our life during the pandemic so perfectly all while being herself. Since her rise in popularity, she’s snagged a deal with Comedy Central Africa, MAC cosmetics, and most recently her biggest yet with FENTY. And to affirm her international stardom, she has been nominated by E! People's Choice Awards in the African Social Star Category! All we can say to all of this is winning? “It’s not by mistake.”

Josh Alfred (@josh2funny)

If you’re standing on a leaf, what does it mean? That you’re ‘on leave’.

The was a little dry, but if you watched Nigerian comedian Josh Alfred’s posts, you’d get it. All it took was the one post from the Lagos-based comedian for his idea for the #dontleaveme challenge to go all over the continent and beyond. The challenge is delightfully corny as it is witty, and can turn even the most mundane of things such as a pavement into the most hilarious one-liners.

#InfluencerChallenge 

Even your mum or dad know of this challenge. Why? Because there’s a high chance that they’re the main feature. All it took was one video of someone mimicking the common influencer claim “a lot of you have asked about my daily routine” in front of their parents or family members to see their reactions, and it then gave rise to one of the most hilarious challenges this year. The best part about this particular challenge is how highly relatable it

The Odditty (@the_odditty)

Part of the Odditty’s Instagram bio reads ’redefining self-love’ and this couldn’t be more apt when describing the ray of sunshine that is Nigerian content creator and influencer Sofiyat Ibrahim, more commonly known as The Odditty. Based in Washington, USA, the Odditty’s consistent message of self-confidence and being comfortable in your skin in all her videos is why she’s a firm favourite of the year so far. Added to that are an immaculately shaped bald head and radiant outlook on everyday life that’s undeniably infectious.

Instagram Lives

If you didn’t go Live at any point in time during quarantine, were you really in quarantine? The pandemic fuelled the bravery in a lot of us this year, so much so that it was impossible to not have logged on to Instagram in one day and not seen someone you follow having a Live session. Celebrities talked, musicians treated us to performances and other creatives alike used the platform to host webinars and connect with their peers and fans, proving that connecting with the world can only take a few seconds. 

Donovan Goliath (@donovangoliath)

The lockdown period has been a fantastic time for South African comedian and creative director Donovan Goliath, who has been consistently creating and sharing a range of visual content on his social media channels alongside his musician girlfriend Davina Gordon. This is from short ‘quarantine at home’ skits, clever logo placement in mock editorial photographs to working with big brands such as Castle Lite SA and DStv, David’s content is proof that you can elevate your creativity and entertain without needing high-end production tools. 

Everything is cake

Yes. At one point in time, everything that we thought was real was actually made of cake and could be sliced into. Could this article also be cake?