I’d had my mind on Peruvian prisons ever since I read a book at school called El Sexto, a nightmare description of a jail that no longer exists. In October 2001, I finally went to visit our local prison in Huamancaca. I knew from all the security and stamps on my arms was that I was in for a real experience, but never did I expect to meet destiny here.

In the prison I found gardens and flowers, and also cement and bars, but beyond all that I found human beings who were working away to make a little bit of money for their families. What a pity, I thought, that these skills are not being applied to better materials or better designs or to making a greater variety of products. I saw a need for better organization and motivation.

My visit continued and suddenly I found myself talking and describing my ideas to the inmates and although they were paying attention, they might have been thinking “Well, just another visitor to sell something.” But I had already decided as I walked through those corridors that things would change for the better and that we were all going to do it together.

By the next visit I was working with Flor, a spicy newspaper journalist, a frequent visitor to the prison, and by now a good friend. Flor enthusiastically agreed to helped coordinate my ideas for the Manos Libres program, and we set to work finding craftsmen to teach their trades, and finding markets for the pieces the prisoners were producing.

For our first course, Martin, a Peruvian jeweler living in the States, came to teach jewellery-making techniques. After ten days, Martin was impressed with the dedication and progress of the prisoners, and we were happy that our first steps had proved so successful.

This year, after my trip to New Zealand, I brought back a special tool for bone carving that I am sure will produce wonderful pieces. We are developing a number of new ideas in bone and wood-carving, weaving, sewing and jewellery-making, and we are very excited about upcoming paper-making and silk screening projects.

Our role at Incas del Peru has been clear throughout the project. I don’t think I’m Mother Theresa. I am not looking for applause for good deeds. What we want to do is to give the prisoners the chance to learn skills, to free their hands, even while they are in jail. When their families come to visit, they leave with less sorrow, and go home with a smile, a sense of pride and a little extra money from the sale of these crafts. We ask the inmates to keep in mind that if they learn and work hard, when they get out of jail they won’t be asking someone else for a job.

So far we have thirty people that have taken our courses and we expect some 120 more people to get involved this year. We will soon have craft pieces for sale on our web site.

If you have the opportunity to visit Huancayo, we welcome you to join us on guided visits of the Huamancaca Prison. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, we would love to hear them. And if you are a craftsperson or artist who would like to share your skills and organize a workshop with us, we would love to work with you!

Lucho Hurtado,
Huancayo, 2004

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