Adekunle Gold on sickle cell advocacy: ‘It's time to learn my voice – people are dying'

Award-winning Nigerian singer rose to international fame when his debut album reached number seven on the Billboard World Charts. Since then, the 37-year-old has released four more albums, amassing hundreds of millions of streams worldwide. Behind the scenes, however, he has been quietly battling sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that causes severe pain, anemia, and potentially life-threatening complications. It affects children who inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene. The disease is most prevalent in Africa, which accounts for 66% of cases worldwide. Nigeria bears the highest burden, where as many as 150,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease annually. He first wrote about his experience with sickle cell disease in 2022. Now, he is establishing a foundation to help children battling the disease in Africa. He recently sat down for an interview about living with sickle cell disease. He shared that he decided to speak up because he realized others couldn’t share their stories like he could. He wants to advocate for better access to healthcare for those with sickle cell disease. He mentioned some challenges he has faced, such as putting himself in situations that made him sick as a child. Despite this, he is determined not to let the disease define him. He highlighted the lack of awareness and financial barriers to receiving proper care in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria. His goal is to raise awareness, educate people on how to treat those with sickle cell disease, and encourage people to check their genotype. He plans to continue incorporating this topic into his music and public appearances. He hopes that the international community will pay attention and take action to support those affected by sickle cell disease.