Beyond the Walls isn’t just a play performed for the inmates at Nsawam Female Prison. According to its producers, the project aims to achieve something deeper — raising funds to support mental health care and rehabilitation for the women behind bars.
During its staging at the National Theatre on March 29 and 30, 2025, director Naa Ashorkor shared that the initiative will help establish a facility dedicated to providing psychological support for inmates.
“We didn’t want to stop at entertainment,” she said. “The prison had already begun a project to support the emotional well-being of inmates. We decided to contribute by raising funds for it.”
She explained that the facility will help both new inmates and those preparing for release. Women entering the prison often struggle with depression, feeling forgotten and broken. Those being released sometimes face an even harder battle — rejection and fear of life outside.
One example is Amina, a character in the play who panics after being granted amnesty. Her fear stems from a traumatic return home in the past, where she felt unwelcome and rejected. For her, prison feels safer.
This is the kind of trauma the new facility aims to address. It will provide counseling for both inmates and their families to support healthy reintegration into society.
Inspired by Real Stories
Beyond the Walls is based on true accounts from Nsawam’s female inmates. The play blends humor and emotion to shed light on the injustices within Ghana’s prison system.
One storyline follows a young woman who, during a December holiday in Ghana, is tricked into smuggling contraband through Kotoka Airport and ends up imprisoned. Another features a woman who steals from her church after discovering corruption among its leaders.
But perhaps the most powerful moment in the play is Amina’s reluctance to leave prison — highlighting the long-lasting effects of stigma and trauma.
A Project Born from Fair Justice Initiative
The play was inspired by the Fair Justice Initiative, which invited the team to perform for inmates in December 2024. Naa Ashorkor and playwright George Quaye visited the prison and, after hearing several stories, decided the women’s experiences deserved to be heard on a bigger stage.
“In December, the inmates themselves performed these roles,” Naa said. “They brought their stories to life before our actors ever did.”
Originally, the play was meant to remain within the prison. But after seeing its impact, the producers knew the world needed to hear these powerful stories too.
Now, with public support, Beyond the Walls hopes to create lasting change — not only through theatre but by improving mental health care and reintegration for incarcerated women.