Akanji Studio at HelloFresh for World Sickle Cell Awareness Day
On June 26th, Akanji Studio was invited to HelloFresh UK to speak as part of their World Sickle Cell Awareness Day programming. This wasn’t a tick-box event, it was an honest, necessary conversation that cut through the noise.
Founder Rizzy Akanji Amole shared his lived experience as a digital artist and sickle cell warrior, using art to educate, provoke thought, and humanise the reality of chronic illness. Through Afrofuturism and powered visuals, Rizzy’s work isn’t just aesthetic, it’s advocacy in motion.
Also on the mic was Vashti-iona Beckford, an advocate with deep roots in both entertainment and health. As the talent manager to Supacell creator Rapman, Vashti highlighted how media can move culture, and how the show has led to a real-world spike in Google searches for “sickle cell.” But she didn’t just talk media. Vashti shared her personal experience living with the sickle cell trait and stressed the importance of genotype testing, especially for Black communities, where knowledge gaps still cause avoidable pain. She’s also run NHS-backed blood drives and continues to push for culturally relevant education in health spaces.
The conversation covered real ground:
- Blood donation: Only 2% of UK donors have Ro blood, but Black communities are 10x more likely to carry it. Without more Black donors, people with sickle cell are left waiting, or worse.
- Genotype awareness: Know yours. It’s that simple. Too many are unaware until it’s too late.
- Media impact: Supacell isn’t just a Netflix hit. It’s a cultural intervention that’s making people ask questions.
- Nutrition and health: What we eat affects how we fight. Good food better outcomes for those managing chronic illnesses.
- Art as truth: Rizzy’s exhibition reminded attendees that sickle cell isn’t just a medical condition, it’s a lived reality shaped by systems, stigma, and silence.
A massive thank you to the entire team at HelloFresh UK for not just inviting us in, but for creating space where real talk was welcomed and respected. This kind of corporate engagement matters, because allyship isn’t performative when it’s rooted in education and action.
This event wasn’t the finish line. It’s part of a larger mission to normalise conversations about sickle cell, empower communities with information, and drive the kind of systemic change this condition deserves.
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Explore our work, partner with us, or donate to help us keep creating change: akanjiarts@gmail.com