A new exhibition, They Cannot Take the Sky: Stories from Detention, tells the stories of people who have sought and are seeking asylum and refuge in Australia. They Cannot Take the Sky opens at the Shepparton Library, on Monday March 16th and will run until Friday 15th May.
A travelling exhibition from Beyond the Wire
The exhibition features twenty-two narrators representing a range of nationalities and ethnicities including those from Iran, Iraqi, Syria, and others who are Rohingya (Myanmar), Zaghawa (Sudan), Hazara (Afghanistan) and Tamil. The narrators reveal not only their extraordinary journeys and challenges but also their meditations on love, death and hope. Their testimonies are at times confronting, deeply moving and surprising.
The exhibition won a prestigious 2018 Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for best Temporary or Travelling Exhibition. The exhibition was developed with Melbourne’s Immigration Museum, where it was first shown in 2017.
This exhibition which will be held at the Shepparton library -— They Cannot Take the Sky: Stories from Detention -— tells the stories of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia.
The exhibition is made up of dozens of short videos and audio stories of people telling their stories of immigration detention, their life after release or – for those remaining in offshore detention -— their hopes for the future.
The exhibition features 22 narrators representing a range of nationalities and ethnicities, including people from Iran, Iraq and Syria, as well as others who are Rohingya (from Myanmar), Zaghawa (from Sudan), Hazara (from Afghanistan) and Tamil (from Sri Lanka).
Shepparton library manager Corrinne Hills said following on from the successful Anne Frank exhibition last year, she was excited to bring They Cannot Take the Sky to Shepparton. “These heart-touching stories will resonate with many in our community and we expect it to appeal to a large audience,” she said.
The exhibition, first shown in 2017 at Melbourne Museum, won a 2018 Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for Best Temporary or Travelling Exhibition. It was developed by Behind the Wire, an award—winning oral history project documenting the stories of people who have been detained by the Australian Government after seeking asylum in Australia.
They Cannot Take the Sky will be launched at the Shepparton library on Monday March 16th at 5 pm, and will run until Friday, May 15. For information, phone Corrinne Hills 1300 374 765 .
When: 16 Mar – 15 May 2020
Where: Shepparton Library 41 Marungi St.
Cost: Free
Contact: Shepparton Library 1300 374 765
