Woli Arole’s First Christian Comedy
Ferdinand Ekechukwu
Comedian and Actor, Oluwatoyin Bayegun popularly known as Woli Arole recently set the pace for a new era in the Nigerian entertainment scene with the success of his show, The Revelation, which has been tagged the first Christian comedy concert in the country. The event which held at the expansive Eko Hotels and Suites, follows Arole’s giant strides in the comedy industry and further stamps his feet as one with rare combination of talent, art and a deep sense of spirituality.
Amongst other things, the event featured praise, prayer, worship and declaration sessions which blessed all the guests present. Also, on ground to add colour to the event were popular gospel acts, Tope Alabi and Chioma Jesus, singer; Timi Dakolo, actress, Toyin Abraham as well as comedians, Macaroni and Alibaba.
According to some of the guests, the two-hour show may just have ushered in a new wave of event ideation in the country, seeing how it featured no iota of profanity but instead celebrated Christ in a glamourous way along with rib cracking comedy, ear-soothing music, drama and prophetic decrees- an unusual element in events of such nature.
“I am very proud of Arole for daring to pull this off. It is not an easy feat to loudly proclaim Christ in a saturated industry like the Nigerian entertainment circle. I believe an initiative like this is commendable and I believe Arole is charting a new course in solidifying Christian Entertainment in Africa and the World at large,’’ Idowu Abiodun, one of the guests said.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the event, the 32-year-old describes himself primarily, as a messenger who has only chosen to use the platform of entertainment as a medium to preach the gospel. He explained that the concept of laughter is synonymous with joy which in itself is a fruit of the spirit, as such a gift from God.
Arole adds: “In his words, I am delighted at the success of the show and grateful to God and everyone that supported in one way or the other. I feel strongly that with this, we have a set a new wave in the industry and proven to all and sundry that Christ is the reason for our laughter and the happiness we enjoy.
“I believe strongly that it is hard to dissociate laughter, joy from the gospel of God because it is an intrinsic part of God’s nature and I am hopeful that with the success of this, we have proven that comedy can be entertaining and wholesome at the same time and I feel honoured to be championing the concept of Christian Comedy and Entertainment in Nigeria. The goal is to constantly proclaim Christ and in the nearest future, we will be taking over Africa and the global entertainment space with the message.”
A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Arole started off his career as an emcee in same university and upon graduation, took advantage of the social media to release short videos bordering on comedy, real life experiences with spiritual nuances. These factors differentiated him and earned him a spot in the minds of many Nigerians and as a finalist at the Alibaba Spontaneity contest in Lagos. He has since gone on to do exploits and tried his hands on live shows with his The Chat Room with Woli Arole and a movie, The Call, which was released in 2018. The Revelation event is his first public event and was sold out.
