Singing contest in Rio prison provides creative outlet for women behind bars

RIO DE JANEIRO — 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' 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.

Many performed gospel songs, while others offered interpretations of MPB, the acronym for Brazilian popular music in Portuguese — including ''Black Sheep'' by the much-loved, late singer Rita Lee.

A panel of jurors composed of actor and TV presenter David Brazil and singer Maurício Mattar, among others, watched carefully, attributing scores for voice, performance, presentation and charm.

Fernanda Fernandes Domingues, 36, won the first prize. ''I don't even know what to say, I'm really happy!'' she said. ''Music is a way of empowering myself in this sad time, because being in prison is sad.''

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 ''Voice of Liberty,'' the women prepped in a room complete with mirrors and a dressing screen by vocalizing and shaking their arms to release nervous energy.

''It's magical because we're doing what we want. It means liberation for us. We're in prison and art liberates us,'' Leite said, adding that her dream is to sing at the Rock in Rio festival.

This year's competition, with the theme of ''hope and emancipation,'' was the third organized by Rio de Janeiro's state prison administration authority.

Maria Rosa Lo Duca Nebel, Rio's state secretary for penitentiary administration, said the objective of prison is also to rehabilitate through work, studies, reading and — like on Friday — through culture.

It also helps with the atmosphere within the facility, she said.

''This helps calm things down, in the sense that it eases the tension, because the prison system — even though this is a women's unit — is an environment that's tense by nature. What we've provided here, with everyone's presence, creates that sense of relief,'' she said.

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.

''When I sing, I feel at peace. It's kind of like a calming medicine. I need it. So I sing, and everything is OK.''

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