Condi Rice Receives More Than She Bargains For With Guitar Gift

"I'm a musician, you know..." said a delightedcharango seems to be the gift of choice for celebrities
Condoleezza Rice while strumming the charango - anand dignitaries visiting Bolivia and Chile at the moment -
Andean five-string lacquered guitar - which the BolivianU2's Bono recently received a similar guitar from
President had just presented to her.The occasion wasChile's President Ricardo Lagos.Condoleezza's claim to
a meeting between the U.S. Secretary of State andbe a musician is certainly well-founded - even her
Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous President, inname has a musical origin - con dolcezza - an
Valparaiso, Chile.The presentation of the guitar noindication to play a piece of music 'with sweetness'.She
doubt provided Rice with some light relief at the end ofis the most accomplished musician ever to work in the
a 25-minute meeting to discuss drug policy, part of aWhite House. Coming from several generations of
gruelling nine-day diplomacy trip encompassing Chile,pianists, she began learning the instrument at the age
Indonesia and Australia.What she didn't realize at theof three, and at age fifteen won a competition in
time was that the beautiful Bolivian charango guitar,Denver for her performance of Mozart's D minor
hand-crafted with five pairs of strings, was inlaid withPiano Concerto. At one point she even considered a
coca leaves.Coca was always bound to be high oncareer as a concert pianist.Well, it is believed that
the agenda - Morales came to political prominence asCondi Rice's charango guitar didn't make it onto the
leader of farmers campaigning for more freedom toplane back to Washington - perhaps the coca leaf
grow coca - the principal ingredient in cocaine, but alsoinlay would have created too many problems at U.S.
used in many legal products such as traditionalCustoms!Charles Village is owner and webmaster of
medicines and in certain teas.The fight against cocaineFor great articles and resources about all aspects of
is the source of much friction between the U.S.A. andplaying and learning the guitar, click here to visit Village
Bolivia, the world's third largest cocaine producer.TheGuitar now: - learn to play guitar online.