Cecilia’s Story: Ghosts of Yarl’s Wood


We co-created Cecilia’s Story: Ghosts of Yarl’s Wood, a 60-minute arts documentary and accompanying Project Lab exhibition at the National Justice Museum. Developed with survivor and advocate Cecilia Mwenda, the project centres her lived experience of unlawful detention in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre and highlights the urgent need for change within the UK’s asylum and immigration detention systems.

The film and exhibition were produced in collaboration with HEAL Collective and supported by the Nottingham Trent University Strategic Impact Fund. The Project Lab installation combined the documentary with visual storyboards and textual resources, offering rare insight into the hidden mechanisms of detention and the ongoing campaign for systemic reform.

The premiere brought together community members, advocates and supporters for a collective call-to-action, using creative storytelling to illuminate injustice and strengthen momentum for change.

2024

Socially engaged creative practice, Learning and engagement

Collective members: Allan Njanji, Anna Ball, Cecilia Mwenda

An art exhibition titled 'Cecilia's Story: Ghosts of Yarl's Wood' at the National Justice Museum features photographs, storyboards, and informational panels. The display includes images and narratives about Cecilia and other individuals' experiences,
Reflection of a woman with glasses in a window or glass surface, with an outdoor scene and a person walking in the background.
Two women standing and smiling in front of a wall display with text and photos. One woman has curly blonde hair, wearing a pink sweater and a necklace, the other has curly hair, glasses, and is wearing a plaid shirt with an orange scarf.
A woman stands with her back to the camera, talking to a man holding a video camera outdoors on a cloudy day, surrounded by green vegetation and trees, with a house in the background.
Man working on video editing at a cluttered desk with two monitors, using headphones, with a laptop and various audio equipment surrounding him.