Eric Wainaina receives a symbol of peace from the U.N

26 June 2008 - Kenyan singer, Eric Wainaina, was appointed as a Messenger of Non-Violence yesterday at UNON Press Conference Room, where he received an Escopetarra, the art-guitar which symbolizes the change from violent behavior and actions into peaceful and constructive ones.

The name Escopetarra is derived from the Spanish words escopeta and guitarra, which means rifle and guitar. Each Escopetarra is made with a firearm that has participated actively in the four decade long conflict in Colombia. The instrument that will be handed over to Eric Wainaina comes from a demobilized illegal home-made weapon confiscated by the Colombian Ministry of Defense, and donated to UNODC to be transformed into an electric guitar.

The Escopetarra speaks for itself. It incarnates the history of a country with high levels of violence, but with a willingness of its people to change and transform.

The Escopetarra is a part of the “Non-Violence Generation” campaign, which began on the 26th of June 2006, with a concert and a formal handover of an Escopetarra to the United Nations Headquarters permanent disarmament exhibition in New York.

In keeping with the tradition of 26th June, UNODC’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, musician Eric Wainaina accepted the role of a UNODC Messenger of Non-Violence. With the Escopetarra, the instrument he will be playing in his concerts, Wainaina has committed to spread the message of non-violence, as many international artists are doing all over the world. Other UNODC Messengers of Non-Violence include: Juanes (Colombia), Fito Paez (Argentina), Manu Chau (France), Miguel Botafogo (Argentina), Bob Geldof (Ireland), Aterciopelados (Colombia). Other personalities who have received the Escopetarra include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (Ghana). The Escopetarra is also on permanent exhibition at UN HQ in New York, Vienna and Paris. The same will be displayed at the UN HQ lobby at Gigiri Nairobi.