Handicrafts, made by inmates in Homs Central Prison, displayed in an exhibition at Homs Cultural Center

The hall of the Cultural Center in Homs was decorated with hundreds of pieces of art in an exhibition that included handicrafts and hand-made works by inmates, both male and female, in the Central Prison in Homs. The inmates joined various workshops, thanks to which they were able to produce distinguished hand-made works in a professional way and to manufacture everything the family needs.

The exhibition which was organized by the Homs Police Command in cooperation with the administration of Homs Central Prison branch, the Directorate of Social Affair and Labor, the Prisoners’ Care Association in Homs, and the Directorate of Culture, included artistic paintings engraved on wood, accessories, artistic artifacts, table games including backgammon and chess, arabesque and beadwork, in addition to various woolen textiles. The Exhibition lasts for a week.

The Governor of Homs Engineer Nimir Makhlouf appreciated the exhibition, which is the product of a correctional institution that enables inmates to engage in society and take them to the labor market, calling on economic and community activities to help and encourage these inmates, by creating markets to sell their handicrafts and provide them with supplies.

Regarding the exhibition and its purpose, Brigadier General Youssef Issa, Director of the Homs Central Prison Branch, explained that the exhibition has become an annual tradition and was usually held during past years inside the prison, but this time in the Directorate of Culture, so that a wide segment of the people can see the inmates’ products, which gives them an added moral value that makes them feel their presence and the value of the crafts and professions they learned inside the prison.

Souha Suleiman