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