Singing to Be Heard Behind Prison Bars in Mexico Frederick Bernas - The New York Times
go to original May 19, 2015

Estigma - Sueno Nocturno (Charco Industrias Creativas)

On a wide stage in front of hundreds of people, two salsa singers danced in synchronized steps, belting out a catchy melody accompanied by trumpets, percussion and propulsive Latin montuno chords from an electronic keyboard. The musicians, like the crowd, wore mismatching beige uniforms, and no women were anywhere to be seen.

They were all prisoners at the Reclusorio Oriente - a huge penitentiary about 12 miles southeast of central Mexico City - competing in “La Voz Penitenciaría,” a national singing competition that aims to help reintegrate prisoners into society through participation in the arts.

“There are people here who had never been to a theater before,” said an inmate who gave his name as Ervin and said he was serving an 18-year sentence for double homicide, at the Reclusorio Sur penitentiary in a southern suburb of the capital. Ervin was interviewed after prison officials granted access to a reporter to cover the competition.

...“La Voz Penitenciaría” is one of a smattering of cultural activities available to some prisoners in Mexico. They include Shakespeare workshops and a virtual “battle-of-the-bands” contest with online public voting in the federal district of Mexico City.

Read the rest at The New York Times

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