Comedian Sofia Nino de Rivera Brings Stand-Up to Mexican Female Prisoners Duncan Tucker - BBC
go to original October 25, 2017

Sofía Niño de Rivera performs in front of female inmates (Yara Cavazos)

Best known for her Netflix shows and stand-up tours, Sofía Niño de Rivera is one of Latin America's leading comedians.

The 35-year-old from Mexico City has long been making audiences laugh, but she recently embarked on a more serious mission: supporting vulnerable women in Mexico's notoriously dangerous prisons.

In a bid to help female inmates overcome frustration and depression, Sofía gave 10 stand-up workshops in the Mexican capital's vast Santa Martha Acatitla penitentiary over the summer.

The project came about after her cousin, Saskia Niño de Rivera, asked her to do a benefit gig to raise funds for Reinserta, a charity she runs to improve conditions in Mexican jails.

The comedian accepted but wanted to do more than just raise money. They agreed that stand-up workshops could help inmates to use comedy as an emotional release for the benefit of their mental health.

"Stand-up is a really cathartic psychological tool. It has helped me a lot in my life," Sofía says at a hotel in Guadalajara, the morning after a sold-out public performance.

"Women in prison don't have a lot of tools to help them handle emotional issues," she adds. "I think stand-up is something that can help them."

Women account for just 5% of Mexico's 211,000 prison population, but they receive fewer visits and are more likely to be abandoned by their families than male inmates, according to a Reinserta survey.

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