On April 7th, 2022, Nicki Fagbemi’s short film “Why Me?” was released by Sky Arts as a part of a series that highlights Black British filmmakers on the rise. Hers, along with 5 other films, circle themes of caring for elders, the culture surrounding social media, racism in 50s England, London housing and Nicki’s film on sickle cell anaemia.
“Well, I decided that if I was ever going to create a film about my health, sickle cell anaemia and other invisible illnesses, I would want people to laugh and cry,” Nicki Fagbemi told Unbothered. This is exactly what she was able to deliver with her film. She was able to portray this “invisible” disease in a way that compelled the audience, moved them, and let them embark on an emotional journey.
The film tells the story of a young Black British woman trying to balance her hectic life and her fresh sickle cell diagnosis. The disease affects around 15 thousand in the UK, the majority of which are Black. The audience can feel many things as they are acquainted with unique characters and watch as Naima, the subject of the film, deals with the heartbreaking diagnosis.
Nicki Fagbemi battled with sickle cell anaemia herself, and she often felt like it was an obstruction and something she needed to hide when pursuing her dream of acting.
“I was struggling with how to balance my health and acting. It was such a difficult thing for me and back then I always thought I had to keep it a secret. So, essentially made things harder for myself.” She told Refinery29 (Refinery29, 2021)
“I thought [my health] held me back in so many ways but now I see talking about my health is also a strength and it’s helping so many people.” She also said, explaining her inspiration for the film. (Refinery29,2021)
Sickle Cell anaemia is often a disease that people have to fight alone. It’s incurable, chronic and often debilitating, and it’s not widely addressed or accommodated. Raising awareness and spreading the word allows for people to be more learned about the disease and tell people who may suffer from it that it’s not the end all be all.
“[When writing Why Me?] I just kept on thinking there isn’t any [show, movie or play] that I can draw inspiration from. That’s what also made me realize why I had to do it. I’ve complained about the lack of representation my entire life, how sickle cell anaemia is not seen enough and not spoken about enough. So I really hope Why Me? is the start of the conversation. Talking about conditions like sickle cell shouldn’t be taboo. I think there are people out there that do want to have the conversation, but they don’t even know how to go about it or feel they should tread lightly because it’s a delicate issue.” Fagbemi told the interviewer, perfectly encompassing the issue of sickle cell anaemia in our society.
References: https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/sickle-cell-anaemia-unearthed-narratives-sky-arts