They Cannot Take The Sky: Stories from Detention

“Around you, everything is metal fences. But the sky – they cannot take the sky.”

– Behrouz Boochani

For more than two decades, Australia has locked up people who arrive here fleeing persecution—sometimes briefly, sometimes for years. In They Cannot Take the Sky  those people tell their stories, in their own words. Speaking from inside detention on Manus Island and Nauru, or from within the Australian community after their release, the narrators reveal not only their extraordinary journeys and their daily struggles, but also their meditations on love, death, hope and injustice. Their candid testimonies are at times shocking and hilarious, surprising and devastating. They are witnesses from the edge of human experience.

The first-person narratives in They Cannot Take the Sky range from epic life stories to heartbreaking vignettes. The narrators who have shared their stories have done so despite the culture of silence surrounding immigration detention, and the real risks faced by those who speak out. Once you have heard their voices you will never forget them.

The exhibition won a prestigious 2018 Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for best Temporary or Travelling Exhibition.

Behind the wire

Behind the Wire works with men, women and children who have sought asylum in Australia.

Its other projects include a book, audio book, podcast, and photographic portraits. For more information visit their website. 

They Cannot Take The Sky is presented at Bunjil Place in partnership with

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