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