RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) \u2014 A group of Brazilian women behind bars applied makeup, donned gowns and competed in a singing contest held on Friday in a Rio de Janeiro prison, during an event designed to spotlight talents and boost confidence ahead of the detainees\u2019 release.<\/b>
\nA group of Brazilian women behind bars applied makeup, donned gowns and competed in a singing contest held on Friday in a Rio de Janeiro prison, during an event designed to spotlight talents and boost confidence ahead of the detainees\u2019 release.
Within a vast, echoing multipurpose hall, the fifteen candidates took turns to sing their hearts out on a purple-themed stage in front of an audience made up of prison officials, volunteers and fellow detainees, who clapped and sang along with them.
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Many performed gospel songs, while others offered interpretations of MPB, the acronym for Brazilian popular music in Portuguese \u2014 including \u201cBlack Sheep\u201d by the much-loved, late singer Rita Lee.
A panel of jurors composed of actor and TV presenter David Brazil and singer Maur\u00edcio Mattar, among others, watched carefully, attributing scores for voice, performance, presentation and charm.
Fernanda Fernandes Domingues, 36, won the first prize. \u201cI don\u2019t even know what to say, I\u2019m really happy!\u201d she said. \u201cMusic is a way of empowering myself in this sad time, because being in prison is sad.\u201d
Months before the big day, the candidates from four detention facilities auditioned, rehearsed and ran makeup, costume and hair tests, adding variety and stimulation to a repetitive prison routine.
The day of the competition, known as \u201cVoice of Liberty,\u201d the women prepped in a room complete with mirrors and a dressing screen by vocalizing and shaking their arms to release nervous energy.
Rilary Cristina Leite, 31, used to sing in bars, at parties and at church before being arrested six years ago. She is due to leave prison in less than a year and said that the show was an opportunity to help her along the path of rehabilitation by showcasing her skills.
\u201cIt\u2019s magical because we\u2019re doing what we want. It means liberation for us. We\u2019re in prison and art liberates us,\u201d Leite said, adding that her dream is to sing at the Rock in Rio festival.
This year’s competition, with the theme of \u201chope and emancipation,\u201d was the third organized by Rio de Janeiro\u2019s state prison administration authority.
Maria Rosa Lo Duca Nebel, Rio\u2019s state secretary for penitentiary administration, said the objective of prison is also to rehabilitate through work, studies, reading and \u2014 like on Friday \u2014 through culture.
It also helps with the atmosphere within the facility, she said.
\u201cThis helps calm things down, in the sense that it eases the tension, because the prison system \u2014 even though this is a women\u2019s unit \u2014 is an environment that\u2019s tense by nature. What we\u2019ve provided here, with everyone\u2019s presence, creates that sense of relief,\u201d she said.
Cassiane Victoria Moura Martins won last year\u2019s show. She has been singing since she was three and used to perform on the radio and other public spaces.
She stopped after being incarcerated for involvement in drug-trafficking, but picked it up again thanks to the contest and aspires to sing professionally. She plans on making videos for TikTok once she exits the facility.
\u201cWhen I sing, I feel at peace. It\u2019s kind of like a calming medicine. I need it. So I sing, and everything is OK.\u201d
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