THE actor and director Fred Amata is not a man who talks too much about his projects. But this afternoon, he couldn’t but shout aloud. “Just come to Oriental Hotel on December 23 (today), the venue is Grand Ball Room, at 4pm, and you’ll see what my new project is about.”
So, what’s the project all about?
Brimming with smiles, the actor of immense credit, who seemed to have taken a back seat in the acting turf for the more challenging role of a director and content developer, muses, “The three kings at the Oriental is a hybridisation of two concepts: One is the three wise men who came from the east, the second one is the Christmas carol— We Three Kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar. The combination of the song and the venue, The Oriental; that’s where the concept came from because the three wise men are thought also to be three kings. So, three kings bearing gifts, three kings symbolising the spirit of the season, which is ‘giving’.”
How did he come about the three kings?
“The three Kings are an integral component of the story of Christmas, through them, our concept will evolve. We have re-written the carol thus... We three kings at The Oriental (hotel in Lagos), Bearing gifts we traverse afar, comedy, carols, singing, dancing, following Nollywood stars... sang to the melody of the three kings Carols... So, the star of Christmas is reflected in the stars Nollywood has made.”
He says, “it’s an evening of joint heirs to the throne, both kings and queens represented strongly by the three wise men and we are going to have an array of all the Christmas symbols such as the manger, Herod, the Magi, the star of Bethlehem, angels, animals, carpenter, Mary and Baby, so, men are represented, women and children are also represented. It is celebration of the Christmas story an evening of good tidings peace and joy glory to all men.”
A Nollywood Variety Nite, the event is not actually about the creme of Nollywood. The three kings are the hosts for the evening; they traverse between the performances, the stars and the audience.
“The stars are all kings in their own rights remember the bible says we are joint heirs of God, Romans 8:17. God sits upon the throne so it’s an evening of princes, princesses, kings and queens spiced with the exotic flavours of Africa,” he quips.
You wonder when he conceived the programme?
The warm-hearted artiste says with aplomb, “it’s a concept that has always existed with me. As a young boy I used to lead a group of my friends performing nativity plays, Christmas carols, to select audiences during festive seasons — Christmas and Easter.
“Only recently, when I shared the idea with Ideas Warehouse, we tweaked the concept a little, added modern twists, we knew we were going to go for it.”
Has there been anything like this before that you sort of changed to fit the immediate demands?
He draws a long smile and says, “apart from the performances, I had when I was a teenager, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before especially in Nollywood. So this is a key point in the evolution of Nollywood. We are bringing stars with talent that are not usually seen to exhibit these talents in the midst of festivity and celebration.”
On how he came about the three kings, the actor, who wears determination like a badge, says: “First I thought that whoever will represent the three kings must be cognate veterans in Nollywood. The fact that all three kings dominated the TV screens before Nollywood evolved also helped as criteria but apart from that, I also selected professional who have been friends and colleagues for many years. The three kings are the host of the evening. Okey Bakassi and Gbenga Adeyinka are the masters of ceremony and they are also royalties in our celebration.”
While speaking on the initiative, Amata says the journey so far has not been without its own challenges. “But we were able to move on.”
Any special attire?
Amata laughs out loudly, “no, no…we expect guests to come in the finest of their ceremonial attires. Ceremonial we say, not formal.”
So, what’s the project all about?
Brimming with smiles, the actor of immense credit, who seemed to have taken a back seat in the acting turf for the more challenging role of a director and content developer, muses, “The three kings at the Oriental is a hybridisation of two concepts: One is the three wise men who came from the east, the second one is the Christmas carol— We Three Kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar. The combination of the song and the venue, The Oriental; that’s where the concept came from because the three wise men are thought also to be three kings. So, three kings bearing gifts, three kings symbolising the spirit of the season, which is ‘giving’.”
How did he come about the three kings?
“The three Kings are an integral component of the story of Christmas, through them, our concept will evolve. We have re-written the carol thus... We three kings at The Oriental (hotel in Lagos), Bearing gifts we traverse afar, comedy, carols, singing, dancing, following Nollywood stars... sang to the melody of the three kings Carols... So, the star of Christmas is reflected in the stars Nollywood has made.”
He says, “it’s an evening of joint heirs to the throne, both kings and queens represented strongly by the three wise men and we are going to have an array of all the Christmas symbols such as the manger, Herod, the Magi, the star of Bethlehem, angels, animals, carpenter, Mary and Baby, so, men are represented, women and children are also represented. It is celebration of the Christmas story an evening of good tidings peace and joy glory to all men.”
A Nollywood Variety Nite, the event is not actually about the creme of Nollywood. The three kings are the hosts for the evening; they traverse between the performances, the stars and the audience.
“The stars are all kings in their own rights remember the bible says we are joint heirs of God, Romans 8:17. God sits upon the throne so it’s an evening of princes, princesses, kings and queens spiced with the exotic flavours of Africa,” he quips.
You wonder when he conceived the programme?
The warm-hearted artiste says with aplomb, “it’s a concept that has always existed with me. As a young boy I used to lead a group of my friends performing nativity plays, Christmas carols, to select audiences during festive seasons — Christmas and Easter.
“Only recently, when I shared the idea with Ideas Warehouse, we tweaked the concept a little, added modern twists, we knew we were going to go for it.”
Has there been anything like this before that you sort of changed to fit the immediate demands?
He draws a long smile and says, “apart from the performances, I had when I was a teenager, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before especially in Nollywood. So this is a key point in the evolution of Nollywood. We are bringing stars with talent that are not usually seen to exhibit these talents in the midst of festivity and celebration.”
On how he came about the three kings, the actor, who wears determination like a badge, says: “First I thought that whoever will represent the three kings must be cognate veterans in Nollywood. The fact that all three kings dominated the TV screens before Nollywood evolved also helped as criteria but apart from that, I also selected professional who have been friends and colleagues for many years. The three kings are the host of the evening. Okey Bakassi and Gbenga Adeyinka are the masters of ceremony and they are also royalties in our celebration.”
While speaking on the initiative, Amata says the journey so far has not been without its own challenges. “But we were able to move on.”
Any special attire?
Amata laughs out loudly, “no, no…we expect guests to come in the finest of their ceremonial attires. Ceremonial we say, not formal.”
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