Dismantling the stigma surrounding Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) requires collective effort. It’s against this backdrop that the Mzigo Project spearheaded by former ‘Mr Nigeria’ turned actor‐filmmaker, Emmanuel Ikubese, is using storytelling in raising awareness and promoting understanding about the disease.
The filmmaker recently premiered the film Mzigo (The Burden), a powerful piece of cinema advocacy focusing on the condition of sickle cell anemia. The movie, which features a pan-African cast, including Daniel Etim Effiong, Seun Ajayi, and Tanzanian star Elizabeth Michael, aims to raise awareness about the disease and inspire hope within the sickle cell community.
Ikubese’s passion for creating awareness about the disease stems from a personal experience – the loss of his cousin to the ailment in 2020. The tragic event sparked a desire to combat the stigma, myths, and silence surrounding the condition.
Mzigo, a Swahili word for burden, takes as its theme, the “burden” of living with sickle cell disease, not just the physical pain but the social, psychological and familial weight tied to the condition.
Speaking at the private screening in Lekki, Lagos, Ikubese who played a dual role in the movie production — co-producer and lead actor — said the film is part of a multimedia campaign to dismantle the public stigma and widespread ignorance that often surrounds those living with sickle cell, bringing it to mainstream media and inspire hope within the community.
“The purpose of this private premiere is to basically align with our sponsors and our partners and the Sickle Cell stakeholders in Nigeria; bring them into what we have made for them as a tool.
We also want to showcase the burden of what it feels like living with Sickle Cell, not just the Sickle Cell community but people outside the community.
“The whole idea is to take it into the film space via film festivals. We screened at Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania and a couple of festivals in the United States as well. One of the things I want people to get from this film is that it is a tool to advocate for Sickle Cell; changing the false narratives, the myths, the very ignorance that people have about Sickle Cell,” Ikubese said.
Pix: Mzigo
