| "I'm a musician, you know..." said a | | | | gift of choice for celebrities and |
| delighted Condoleezza Rice while strumming | | | | dignitaries visiting Bolivia and Chile at the |
| the charango - an Andean five-string | | | | moment - U2's Bono recently received a |
| lacquered guitar - which the Bolivian | | | | similar guitar from Chile's President Ricardo |
| President had just presented to her.The | | | | Lagos.Condoleezza's claim to be a musician is |
| occasion was a meeting between the U.S. | | | | certainly well-founded - even her name has a |
| Secretary of State and Evo Morales, Bolivia's | | | | musical origin - con dolcezza - an indication |
| first indigenous President, in Valparaiso, | | | | to play a piece of music 'with sweetness'.She |
| Chile.The presentation of the guitar no doubt | | | | is the most accomplished musician ever to |
| provided Rice with some light relief at the | | | | work in the White House. Coming from several |
| end of a 25-minute meeting to discuss drug | | | | generations of pianists, she began learning |
| policy, part of a gruelling nine-day | | | | the instrument at the age of three, and at |
| diplomacy trip encompassing Chile, Indonesia | | | | age fifteen won a competition in Denver for |
| and Australia.What she didn't realize at the | | | | her performance of Mozart's D minor Piano |
| time was that the beautiful Bolivian charango | | | | Concerto. At one point she even considered a |
| guitar, hand-crafted with five pairs of | | | | career as a concert pianist.Well, it is |
| strings, was inlaid with coca leaves.Coca was | | | | believed that Condi Rice's charango guitar |
| always bound to be high on the agenda - | | | | didn't make it onto the plane back to |
| Morales came to political prominence as | | | | Washington - perhaps the coca leaf inlay |
| leader of farmers campaigning for more | | | | would have created too many problems at U.S. |
| freedom to grow coca - the principal | | | | Customs!Charles Village is owner and |
| ingredient in cocaine, but also used in many | | | | webmaster of For great articles and |
| legal products such as traditional medicines | | | | resources about all aspects of playing and |
| and in certain teas.The fight against cocaine | | | | learning the guitar, click here to visit |
| is the source of much friction between the | | | | Village Guitar now: - learn to play guitar |
| U.S.A. and Bolivia, the world's third largest | | | | online. |
| cocaine producer.The charango seems to be the | | | | |