Escopetarra on display at the United Nations Headquarters.
Escopetarra display at the UN Headquarters as of December 2016

An escopetarra (Spanish: [eskopeˈtara]) is a guitar made from a modified firearm, used as a peace symbol. The name is a portmanteau of the Spanish words escopeta (shotgun) and guitarra (guitar).[1]

History

The escopetarra was invented by Colombian peace activist César López in 2003 at a gathering after the El Nogal Club bombing in Bogotá, when he noticed a soldier holding a firearm like a guitar.[2] The first escopetarra in 2003 was made from a Winchester rifle and a Stratocaster electric guitar.[3]

López initially had five escopetarras built by Colombian luthier Alberto Paredes, four of which were given to Colombian musician Juanes, Argentine musician Fito Páez, the United Nations Development Program, and the city government of Bogotá, while one was kept for himself. Juanes later sold his escopetarra for US$17,000 at a Beverly Hills fundraiser held to benefit victims of anti-personnel mines,[4] while the escopetarra given to the UN was exhibited at the June 2006 of the UN Conference on Disarmament.[5]

In 2006, López acquired an additional 12 decommissioned AK-47 assault rifles from Colombia's peace commissioner's office, with plans to convert them into guitars and give them to high-profile musicians such as Shakira, Carlos Santana, Juanes and Paul McCartney, as well as political figures such as the Dalai Lama. However, a member of the Dalai Lama's staff rejected López's offer, citing the inappropriateness of giving a weapon as a gift; López has said he will try to explain his purpose more clearly.[6] One was also given to Kenyan singer Eric Wainaina on the occasion of the UNODC's 2008 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, to honour his appointment as a UNODC Messenger of Non-Violence.[7]

An escopetarra was presented by César López on 23 September 2012 to the President of Guatemala General Otto Peréz Molina at the Estadio Mateo Flores in an event called "Jóvenes por la Paz." The event gathered 20,000 people advocating for peace in Guatemala. After the presentation of the escopetarra, the President of Guatemala gave the order to destroy thousands of weapons that had been confiscated. The message of the event was "Dale a la Música y No a la Violencia" (make music and not violence)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Torrone, Phillip (2006-03-11). "Guitar made from AK-47 - The Escopetarra". MAKE: Technology on Your Time. Archived from the original on 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  2. ↑ Colombian musicians organise online, BBC News, 1 June 2006
  3. ↑ Making music out of menace: A Colombian musician has fashioned guitars out of rifles to help spread a message of peace. Miami Herald, March 7, 2006
  4. ↑ Latorre, Héctor (2006-01-24). "Escopetarras: disparando música". BBC World. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  5. ↑ Conte, Gabriel (2006-06-15). "La escopeta transformada en guitarra del músico César López será exhibida en la ONU". Desarme.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  6. ↑ Sites, Kevin (2006-04-24). "Killer Sound". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Eric Wainaina receives a symbol of peace from the U.N". U.N. Information Centre in Nairobi. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Finding Tosh's M16". Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  9. ↑ Kursk Doom
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