César López

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César López
Origin	Colombia
Instrument(s)	Piano, Guitar
Website	CesarLopez.org
Notable instrument(s)
Escopetarra

César López is a Colombian musician, vegetarian and peace activist. For the past several years, López has been part of a group called the Battalion of Immediate Artistic Reaction, which consists of various other musicians and activists who seek an alternative to the ever-present violence that plagues Colombia, and specifically the capital, Bogotá. When the group receives news of another violent attack in the city, they meet and head out to the streets of Bogotá to play soothing music for victims.

López is the creator of the escopetarra, a working guitar made from pieces of a weapon and guitar.

[edit] Guns turned into guitars

Main article: Escopetarra

A Lopez Escopetarra on display at the United Nations Headquarters.

López' most extraordinary achievement is a project where he has guns, including several AK-47s, decommissioned and turned into guitars. So far, only a few dozen of these guitars have been produced, but upon completion, López intends to give the guitars to high-profile musicians across the world, such as Shakira, Fito Paez, and Carlos Santana, and to political and religious leaders, such as the Dalai Lama.