During the course of the project, participants met in online sessions and face-to-face rehearsals, working together to create lyrics and songs which were then performed in the school auditorium in recent weeks. The event was also attended by students from other classes and representatives of the two institutions, notably the Director of the Salesians of Évora, Fr David Teixeira, and the Director of the EPE, Paula Ramos.
The project also saw the collaboration of Artur Emídio, a teacher and music producer – and brother of one of the inmates – who contributed to the adaptation and creation of the musical arrangements.
The Évora Penitentiary welcomed this collaboration, as it represents an opportunity to reach out to the local community and constitutes a further activity aimed at the prison population. For the Salesian educational community, however, the initiative represents a journey of encounter, learning and responsibility, in which music becomes a language of relationship, sharing and reconstruction.
As highlighted by Carlos Capelas, a teacher of Catholic Moral and Religious Education, this is a unique project of its kind, combining Christian values with social inclusion.
In keeping with the Salesian charism, Fr David Teixeira recalled that Don Bosco promoted, in Turin, meetings with young people deprived of their liberty, always believing in their worth and their future.
“Para Lá do Erro” was born and has grown, therefore, as a project of relationship, with the potential for continuity. More than just an artistic event, it is an educational experience that brings different worlds closer together, builds trust and shows how school can also be a place of encounter, inclusion and hope.
