Colombia Dispatch 7: Turning Guns into Guitars
Musician Cesar Lopez invented a new type of guitar, made from the shell of an automatic weapon
- By Kenneth Fletcher
- Smithsonian.com, October 29, 2008, Subscribe
Colombian musician Cesar Lopez had a moment of inspiration in 2002 when he noticed a soldier in Bogota holding his rifle the same way Lopez holds his guitar. "They are two objects that you carry the same way," he says, "But they mean two completely different things."
He decided to take weapons that had been used by guerrilla and paramilitary groups in Colombia's conflict and turn them into something positive. Lopez collaborates with luthier Alberto Paredes to create an unlikely guitar with a body made out of an inoperative gun. He calls it an "escopetarra", a hybrid between the Spanish words for guitar and shotgun. It's an instrument of peace, Lopez explains, that symbolizes a metamorphosis he hopes Colombia will undergo.
"A weapon represents intimidation, destruction, and death," he says. "A guitar means life, creativity, construction. They unite to create an object that symbolizes transformation. It's a symbol that anything can change."
The instrument has made a big impact. Lopez has now produced 17 escopetarras out of rifles and AK-47s, all weapons once used by illegal armed groups in Colombia's conflict and turned into the government voluntarily as part of the country's peace process. He's given them to everyone from Latin rock stars to museums. There is even one hanging at the United Nations building in New York.
I met up with Lopez at his home in Bogota, Colombia's capital, right after he played his escopetarra for diplomats and Bogotá's mayor at the launch of 2008's Peace Week. He lets me play his escopetarra, made out of an AK-47 that once belonged to paramilitary soldiers. The gun has been stripped of its innards, replaced with an electric guitar pickup and volume controls. The metal barrel is hidden inside the guitar's warm wooden neck and can never fire another shot. While Lopez says the instrument has a "history of pain," he makes it sing beautifully.
In 2006, Colombia's United Nations office against drugs and crime named Lopez its official "messenger of non violence." For this post, Lopez and his escopetarra travel around Colombia and as far away as the United States and Singapore to broadcast his message. He holds workshops in prisons and among youth living in poverty. He often brings the strange instrument to groups of former paramilitary and guerrilla soldiers who are trying to reintegrate into society. "You realize how they think," he says, "Some need to feel a weapon. Some have this idea that a weapon gives them power or makes them more brave or worthy. Sometimes through one conversation we knock down all of those beliefs."
Rehabilitating demobilized soldiers, scarred by violence and desperation, is key in Colombia's efforts to establish peace within its borders. The escopetarra is a metaphor for the process. "It has a great impact on demobilized fighters," Lopez tells me.
After years of violence and killing "they ask themselves whether they will be able to transform themselves and start a decent life. The escopetarra is an example. These guys were weapons too, and they have to learn how to deactivate that."
They usually start off holding the escopetarra like a gun, with finger on the trigger, but end up strumming the guitar and creating music. "Finally they realize that this is an exercise about transforming one thing into another," Lopez says. "If this weapon can change it's natural structure into something creative, then people can too."
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Comments (40)
Long time subscriber.Some how missed this article.Does anyone remember when Jimi Hendrix turned his guitar into the sound of a machine gun on his song,Machine Gun.He was an Army paratrooper vet ,and also,anti war.Probably to late to post this but,what the heck.Pucntuation is probobly off. PEACE TO ALL !! Steve 8/23/11
Posted by coloradosteve on August 23,2011 | 03:10 PM
I think this is really cool. I love how he turned one object into a completely different object. I think that the fact that his instrument was made out of a gun is a symbol of struggle with war or just life. The message that I got out of this article is that music is always an answer to problems.
Posted by Claudia from Sra. Beckers class on February 15,2009 | 08:23 PM
I think this is a great idea. It shows how people can overcome all of the violence. In this case it shows how somthing as great as music can still live in troubled times. It is a real amazing way to sort of lessen a wars bad name
Posted by Lucas from Sra Beckers clas on February 12,2009 | 09:53 PM
This is pretty neat what the guy has done. I never would have thought to take weapons and make guitars. He's showing people that war isn't going to help anybody, so we should not try it in the firs place.
Posted by David on February 12,2009 | 09:23 AM
I found this article very interesting. How Lopez was inspired to create a guitar out of an assault rifle is beyond me. It is a symbol, a message of peace and better living conditions for everyone. People really can change their lives for the better. And for everyone else around them too.
Posted by Carlos from Sra. Becker's Class on February 12,2009 | 07:46 AM
I think that this man has great motivations for doing what he does. His guitar shows the recovering soldiers that they don't always have to be bad. It is a sign of hope for them and for anyone suffering from the violence. I think that this man chose a great way to get his message across.
Posted by Baltasar from Sra. Becker's class on February 11,2009 | 10:28 PM
This is a very interesting article indeed. I found it astonishing that you could even transform Kalashnikov into a musical instrument. It is really neat how he travels all around showing off this wonderful piece of artwork. I believe it is more inspiring that he even gave a couple of these guitars to demobilized soldiers. We should all learn from this man and apply his peace ideas into our daily lives.
Posted by Pepito Morrical i <3 Sra. Becker on February 11,2009 | 10:18 PM
I think that this is a really good way to turn something negative into something positive. This guy is really creative and smart to think of something like this. It shows that guns can be used for something other than violence.
Posted by Fabiana from Sra. Becker's class on February 11,2009 | 10:11 PM
THis was a very innovative, inspirational idea. I am a firm believer that words are a persons strongest weapon, so as an extension of that so are songs. To be so public and his want for peace was very brave, and I think that Ceasar has accomplished an amazing things with his escoterras. Hopefully, he and others alike will continue to stand as figures of peace and justice.
Posted by Bianca on February 11,2009 | 09:38 PM
This article is very heart warming. The fact that he can turn something that symbolizes violence and turn it into something that represents peace is just amazing! I think it is exactly what the people in this area need to see. They need to know that things can change, and his instrument is a way of showing them that. It is good for them to see how easily violence can be transformed into peace. It will give them hope that their lives can transform that easily as well.
Posted by Alicia from Senora Becker's Class on February 11,2009 | 01:34 PM
The way that Lopez used his creativity was very impressive. i wish i could think of ways to create new products by using old ones. this was a very good idea! the way he related his guns to how people can also change. im sure he is a great musician.
Posted by madison bradley on February 11,2009 | 12:15 PM
I really admire how the guitar was made for a reason and not just for fun. This makes people really love his ides because someone cares for those suffering. Guns and guitars are completely unrelated, and he found a way to combine the two. That takes quite an imagination.
Posted by Raul from Senora Becker's class on February 11,2009 | 12:05 PM
It is a very good way to show the transition between war and peace. I think it was an excellent idea to have the ex-guerilla fighters use the escopetarra to transition them into regular life again. I think it's good that he has gotten recognition for his contribution to the anti-violence cause because now he is more likely to continue on the path he is on. This really was an ingenious idea.
Posted by Antonio from Sra. Becker's class on February 11,2009 | 09:29 AM
This article can inspire change in all people suffering, not just the ones in Colombia. I think turning a gun into a guitar was a great idea to promote peace too. Lopez, i think, could inspire others to follow in his footsteps and make musical instruments out of other criminal or dangerous items. I think his "message of non-violence" is a great one and he should keep going and keep making these guitars as a sign of peace.
Posted by Carlos from Sra. Beckers class on February 11,2009 | 07:15 AM
I really liked how Lopez creatively transformed something like a rifle that is so destructive into something that creates beauty (the music). The representation of transformation is one I would never have thought of, but one that works flawlessly. I also really like how not only has he created this instrument, he is giving or showing it to people who it really affects in order to further give his message. His creative way of speaking out serves as a great example for everyone.
Posted by Nachita from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 11:16 PM
I think that Colombia's musician Cesar Lopez has made a great choose. He has transform a gun from being deadly and scary to something that people can become use to it and even like it. Like he says that you can always change no matter how bad just like he changed the gun. He changed it by making something that can be used by everyone. It can also be inspiration for people because they saw the gun transform from bad to good and making them think they can also change.
Posted by Raquel from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 10:27 PM
This article has really opened my eyes to how people can sovle destruction. This has showed me one good way to deal with problems in the world, this article also showed me that the answer to something is not always violence. This inspirational article is saying that there's still good left in even the most destructive parts of the world.
Posted by Oscar from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 10:06 PM
This article was extremely interesting because of Cesar Lopez's original idea of making a guitar out of a gun. Lopez took something so harsh and negative and turned it into something positive which he called an escopetarra. This was an amazing idea and it's great that Lopez takes his escopetarra not only around Colombia but also to the United States to share his music. It's wonderful that demobilized soldiers can feel redeemed and made anew by this weapon now turned guitar.
Posted by "Natalia" from Sra. Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 10:01 PM
I think that Cesar Lopez was a brillant man. It is awesome how he changed a very dangerous object into something like a guitar. He said many of the soldiers have to hold a gun to feel powerful. By making the gun into a guitar, I think they could feel the power of peace. After playing this guitar gun, I think the soldiers realize killing people is not the answer to anything. When you have peace, it makes everything happier and an all around better situation.
Posted by Maria from Sra. Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 09:56 PM
I am really glad to see someone take something so violent and turn it into the complete opposite. It's amazing to see the kinds of things people can come up with. His idea has obviously inspired people and they send a great messages to everyone. The last sentence in this article is true and should be recognized more greatly and taken more to thought.
Posted by Julio Brennan on February 10,2009 | 09:49 PM
His contribution to his country's peace is a good thing to have. Making these guitars can help boost the morale of the citizens that have to be around the fighting. It also preserves the history of Colombia. Most people wouldn't have been able to come up with an idea like this, yet most people wouldn't be able to make a gun into a guitar. I like the way he thinks.
Posted by Alfonso from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 09:42 PM
It is nice to see that one or two people can use their creativity to transform people who were so affected by violence. It was interesting how he made the escopetarra by combining a weapon and an instrument to demonstrate the change that needs to take place in Colombia. The man has a good message and is willing to spread it, shown by his willingness to travel so far to do so. If he can get his message across and change the people affected by violence, then he has done something amazing.
Posted by Mario from Sra. Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 09:13 PM
Our world is filled with hatred and war, and Colombia is an example of place filled with violence. In violence though, peace and happiness and be found, and also good things can emerge. This man creating a new time of creativity and happiness from evil and war is truly a God-sent. He uses images of war and transforms them into images of peace. This Cesar Lopez is setting an example to all people that we can change and that we can find the light in the darkness. I like what he has done and I hope other people can find little things they can do to find the light in the darkness.
Posted by Alberto from Senora Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 08:54 PM
I think that it is really neat that he transformed all of those guns into guitars, let alone bringing them to the soliders. At first I did not think that doing this would have made a big impact but this story tells how much of a difference something creative can make and I think it is great.
Posted by Mariluz on February 10,2009 | 08:47 PM
What Carlos Lopez is doing will hopefully bring peace to this war-torn country of Colombia. Maybe this will spread to other countries. More people in the world need to know what damage this fighting is doing to the citizens and people of this earth. Music is the best way to converse this message because it is universal. Even if you can't speak the language of the song, music videos also convey the message. I like the idea of the guitar/gun hybrid because it is unique and it shows that good things can come from a destructive object.
Posted by Nicolas from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 08:30 PM
I think what Cesar Lopez is doing is amazing. Him taking a symbol of destruction, and a symbol of inspiration and combining them is a good symbol for citizens of Colombia. This should be a positive sign for anyone effected by the guerrilla. In closing I think Cesar Lopez should continue what he is doing because it is fighting violence which is bad.
Posted by Patricio from Sra. Beckers class on February 10,2009 | 07:41 PM
I thinks this is a good idea. He is telling people that they can express themselves in other ways than violence. It's cool to see what else a gun can be used for instead of just shooting. Also it's neat that he uses the guns that the guerrila actually used.
Posted by Raphael from Senora Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 07:29 PM
They have finaly found a good use for the shells of weapons. Instead of them just filling up garbage dumps they have been turned into instruments of peace instead of war. With the soldiers undergoing rehabilitation it is an ingenious idea to give them something familar and slowly tell them its a tool of peace and not war.
Posted by Ramon from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 07:13 PM
The idea of turning a destructive weapon into a very constructive musical instrument is a great way to make an anti-violence statement. It shows that change is possible, and should inspire hope in many. The message of non-violence is communicated strongly by Lopez's efforts. Hopefully, peace will come to Colombia soon. I wish that I had a guitar like that.
Posted by Manuel from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 06:56 PM
I think that many people will realize how terrible violence is, thanks to this article. I hope that everyone in the world will transform into peaceful people. The escopetarra is a creative and symbolic instrument. I really like the meaning of it.
Posted by Carmen from Sra. Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 06:38 PM
I think it's brilliant that this guy turned an object of violence into peace. Like all of us he wants peace in this world. With this object maybe we can come together and fight for the end of the violence that goes on. With this creative idea we can all finally live in a world of peace and comfort.
Posted by Adolfo on February 10,2009 | 06:22 PM
This is very creative and cool looking. I think the musician has a very large imagination. It shows a lot of comparison between war and peace. This instrument is a good way to show how things can change.
Posted by Baltasar on February 10,2009 | 06:05 PM
I think this is a creative idea. It could definitely help people realize the destruction and help people change. I like how the guitar is made from something that can cause so much damage. It represents a good idea.
Posted by Marisa from Sra. Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 05:41 PM
That's absolutely amazing how something so powerfully destructive can become positively life changing. I guess it could be used as a message for all of us: no matter how much and how badly we mess up our lives, there's always a chance to transform ourselves. If a weapon that causes pain and tears can become a musical instrument that brings inner peace and joy, why can't we do the same? This invention is pretty awesome. Lopez is a really creative person.
Posted by Cristina from Senora Becker's 5th period class on February 10,2009 | 05:28 PM
I love how you can turn something so deadly into something so inspirational. You have to be pretty creative to be able to see someone holding a gun and relate it to a guitar, not to mention being able to transform the gun
Posted by Don Zorro on February 10,2009 | 04:41 PM
I liked this article a lot and it inpired me to look more closely at things that could have a double meaning, like these escopetarras. I think what he is doing is great, and the fact that they are all over many places helps to get his point across. Not only is his idea unique, but inspirational. I like that he used creativity and turned it into something that can reach out and touch everyone.
Posted by Marissa from Senora Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 04:12 PM
I found this article interesting because this man is taking harmful instruments and turning them into something useful to stress a point. He must be very talented to be able to do this. Hopefully people can learn from his example and start using everyday objects to bring points across. I thought this article was very inspiring.
Posted by Elizabeth from Senora Becker's class on February 10,2009 | 04:10 PM
I believe that by creating this escopetarra, he has shown that music is a better, more peaceful way of expressing oneself than violence. I especially liked how he called the guitar "an instrument of life, creativity, and construction." I believe that it takes a lot of courage to speak out this way, with fear of being persecuted or ridiculed. I believe that his travel around the world with this peace machine made the biggest and most lasting impact. This article was very interesting and it fascinates me how much creativity was needed to create such a peaceful instrument out of something so destructive.
Posted by Diego from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 04:01 PM
This article is an inspiration to all of the people suffering from the guerrilla. It's neat to see that someone can make musical instruments out of something so destructful. This idea has to be one of the most unique things I have ever set eyes upon. This is a very good idea and more people should pay attention to your cause.
Posted by Tomas from Senora Becker's Class on February 10,2009 | 02:40 PM
I think this is a very creative idea. He must be a very good musician. I think it is good that it symbolizes peace and that he wants peace for Colombia. Like he said, people can change into something creative too. Hopefully more people will make creative things like this in the future.
Posted by Cleopatra from Sra. Beckers class on February 10,2009 | 01:43 PM