In ‘Healing’, actress and producer Mo Bimpe Adedimeji turns her influence toward an often-ignored crisis: the fight against cervical cancer and the stigma surrounding HPV (Human Papillomavirus). The film, which stars her husband, Lateef Adedimeji, alongside Remi Surutu, Bakare Zainab and Kunle Omisore, confronts one of the most preventable yet deadly health issues affecting Nigerian women today.
For Adedimeji, ‘Healing’ was an awakening. “Funny enough, I never heard about HPV before this film,” she admitted. “When they called me to produce the project, I actually asked, ‘Is it HIV?’ They said, ‘No, HPV.’ I went online to learn about it, and what I found shocked me: 80 per cent of women dying of cancer are dying because of cervical cancer caused by HPV. That hit me.”
That discovery reframed her purpose for taking on the project. “This is not about promoting a movie,” she said. “It’s about awareness. Every woman needs to go for a pap smear, get tested, and get vaccinated. It’s serious and it’s preventable.”
Adedimeji plays Abene, a woman struggling against both illness and stigma after an HPV diagnosis, a story she says mirrors real life far too closely. “If you watch ‘Healing’, you’ll see that the people who had the most issues with Abene were women,” she said. “That’s how it is in real life, women judging women. Even I face that sometimes. We just need to be kind to one another. It doesn’t take anything from us.”
Her co-star and husband, Lateef Adedimeji, portrays a man navigating love, fear, and faith in the face of his partner’s diagnosis. Together, their performances carry a weight that goes beyond fiction. Lateef’s involvement, Mo Bimpe noted, was deeply personal. “He supported me every step of the way,” she praised him. “This film needed empathy from everyone involved, and he brought that both on and off set.”
Beyond its emotional core, ‘Healing’ also aims to shift how audiences view health storytelling in Nollywood, moving from entertainment to education. “Films like this can save lives,” Mo Bimpe said. “We can’t keep quiet about something that affects so many women. This is our contribution to the conversation.”
Actress Omowunmi Dada, who attended the film’s screening, shares that urgency. “I’m a huge advocate for eradicating cervical cancer,” she stated. “Since 2017, I’ve worked with the Leir Foundation to give free HPV vaccines to young women. Every woman I meet, I ask, ‘have you done your HPV test?’ ‘Have you gotten your vaccine?’ Because this is one cancer we can actually eliminate.”
Omowunmi also reflected on her personal health struggles earlier this year. “Being healthy is underrated,” she said. “When you’re sick, nothing else matters, not the money, not the fame. I’m just grateful for everyone who showed me love when I needed it. That’s real healing.”
Through Healing, Mo Bimpe and Lateef Adedimeji are leveraging the visibility of Nollywood to spark empathy and awareness, reminding audiences that cinema can be both reflective and transformative.
:This story is for every woman who’s ever been afraid, ignored, or shamed,” Mo Bimpe declared. “And for every man who chooses to support her instead. It’s about love, about life and about taking charge before it’s too late.”
