‘Beyond the Walls’, a play that tackles injustices in Ghana’s prison system, was staged at the National Theatre on March 29 and March 30, 2025.
Tinged with humour, the play highlights true life stories of some inmates at the Nsawam Female Prison. Different accounts are woven seamlessly to address the theme of the play.
The story is told of a young woman who travels to Ghana to enjoy the December holidays. She falls in love with a Ghanaian. On her way back, this Ghanaian man gives her a suitcase filled with beautifully folded kente fabric, supposedly to be given to his mother who lives abroad. The lady inspects a few of the pieces and finds them safe. Unfortunately, she gets nabbed at the Kotoka Airport and is taken to the prison.
Another woman also finds herself in prison for stealing money from her church. After leaving the Catholic Church for a different church, she discovers that even some of the pastors and leaders of the new church are engaged in clandestine activities. This goads her on to also dip her hands into the church’s coffers.
The surprising bit is Amina’s unwillingness to go back home even after she is granted amnesty. This raises the issue of stigma and antagonism. Having served eight years in prison earlier and returning to the facility after facing rejecting from her family, the prison is her safe haven. She does not see having a peaceful life ‘Beyond the Walls’.
Naa Ashorkor, the director of the play explains that the project was inspired by Fair Justice Initiative.
“In December last year, the Fair Justice Initiative invited us to come do some entertaining piece for the inmates for Christmas,” she said.
According to her, she and George Quaye (the writer of the story) took a drive over to the Nsawam Female Prison and after their first visit, after hearing some of the stories that had taken the women there, they decided that instead of going to stage a play for the inmates to enjoy, they would rather tell their stories and have them perform in the piece.
“So in December the inmates of the prison acted in the play, played the different roles that our professional actors played today,” she noted.
Naa further indicated that when George wrote the piece, it was supposed to remain in the Nsawam Prisons only because it was just their stories but after it was performed and they heard particularly Amina’s story, they thought that the world needed to hear these stories, too.
However, their objective was not only to perform for the inmates or tell their stories but to also advance a worthy cause for their wellbeing.
“And in order to help beyond just entertainment, we decided to help the prison. They had already started a project which is supposed to rehabilitate the women and give them some sort of mental help. For women who are just coming they needed to be properly integrated into the system so that they were so depressed, forgotten, sad, and broken.
And for those on their way out, you saw the terror that Amina experienced just because she had been told she was going home. Because of what she had previously experienced when she went home. This facility which the prison has started is supposed to provide psychological help to the inmate who are coming in and those who are going out. Their families will be invited, they will be counseled, and help to properly re-integrated them into society,” she said.
Written by George Quaye, ‘Beyond the Walls’ was produced by Image Bureau and April Communications with support from United Nations Family in Ghana, Stanbic Bank and Joy 99.7FM.
Source: Kwame Dadzie
