By Adebumowa Jesutomiwo
The Ntetee Foundation, in partnership with the Health Law Network, held a sickle cell awareness programme at the Large Lecture Room, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan on Wednesday, 30th of September, 2026. The screening featured genotype testing, a screening of Dazzling Mirage, an interactive quiz and a discussion on sickle cell anaemia.
The programme began with a genotype screening session, where participants had their blood samples collected and tested. The results were made available to participants shortly after the samples were taken, allowing them to know their genotype.
Following the screening, participants settled in for the screening of Dazzling Mirage, the 2015 Nigerian film adapted from the novel by Dr Olayinka Egbokhare. The film tells the story of Funmiwo, a young woman living with sickle cell anaemia, and follows her experiences with love, family, career and the stigma associated with the condition. Her relationship with Sanya becomes complicated when his mother objects to their union because of Funmiwo’s sickle cell status. The film further explores the physical and emotional challenges of living with the condition, including the impact of recurrent crises and societal misconceptions.
Through Funmiwo’s experiences, Dazzling Mirage presents the realities of sickle cell while exploring themes of love, stigma, family, resilience and the importance of awareness.
After the screening, Anjola Oladimeji led participants in a Kahoot session featuring trivia questions based on the movie and sickle cell anaemia. The interactive session tested participants’ knowledge of the film.
The top three participants were rewarded with cash prizes. Joy emerged in first place and received ₦10,000, while Izzy came second and received ₦7,000. Miwa placed third and received ₦5,000.
This was followed by a discussion session by Olapeju Ajala, where participants reflected on the film, its message and the realities presented in the story. The conversation also addressed genotype compatibility, with participants discussing the different genotype combinations and the considerations surrounding marriage and the risk of sickle cell disease in children.
The programme also featured the author of Dazzling Mirage, Dr Olayinka Egbokhare, who spoke about the book and the importance of continuing to raise awareness about sickle cell anaemia.
Dr Egbokhare discussed the need for people, particularly young people, to be better informed about sickle cell and the steps that can be taken to reduce the incidence of the condition. Her engagement with participants also provided an opportunity to connect the message of the book, written more than a decade ago, with contemporary conversations around sickle cell awareness.
As part of her contribution to the awareness effort, Dr Egbokhare donated 30 copies of Dazzling Mirage to participants at the programme. The books were distributed to attendees and individually signed by the author.
