http://www.mediaite.com/online/customs-agents-smash-and-destroy-renowned-flautists-handmade-instruments/ Customs Agents Smash and Destroy Renowned Flautist’s Handmade Instruments
A Canadian flute virtuoso said he had eleven handmade instruments destroyed by a customs agent at New York City’s John F. Kennedy airport on Tuesday. *Boujemaa Razgui* was travelling from Morocco to Boston, where he performs with the Boston Camerata. A customs agent asked to see his flutes, which he had made himself over several years from rare brands of reeds. Declaring them “agricultural products”—the flutes may have been mistaken for pieces of bamboo<http://www.boston.com/names/2013/12/31/customs-officials-destroys-flute-virtuoso-instruments/fBlZdUpxw3EKWOzdyyvwXM/story.html>—the agent proceeded to destroy the instruments. “I told them I had these instruments for many years and flew with them in and out,” Razgui said to *Norman Lebrecht <http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/jfk-customs-destroyed-11-of-my-instruments.html>* of the blog Slipped Disc<http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/jfk-customs-destroyed-11-of-my-instruments.html>. “There were eleven instruments in all. They told me they were agricultural products and they had to be destroyed. There was nothing I could do.” Razgui said there were only a handful of people in the United States who played his esoteric style of flute. “And now they’re gone,” he said. “I’m not sure what to do.” [h/t Slipped Disc<http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/jfk-customs-destroyed-11-of-my-instruments.html> / The Names Blog<http://www.boston.com/names/2013/12/31/customs-officials-destroys-flute-virtuoso-instruments/fBlZdUpxw3EKWOzdyyvwXM/story.html> ] [*Image via Handout <http://www.boston.com/names/2013/12/31/customs-officials-destroys-flute-virtuoso-instruments/fBlZdUpxw3EKWOzdyyvwXM/story.html>* ] —— __._,_.___ __,_._,___ -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
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