Jan. 3, 2013
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U.S. Customs seizes, destroys musician's flutes over agricultural concerns
Moroccan-born musician Boujemaa Razgui, who plays a reed flute native to northern Africa, had his bag taken away after a trip from Madrid to Kennedy Airport on Dec. 22 because it was also carrying bamboo, which Customs will not allow into the U.S. via luggage. As a result, Razgui said he's been unable to make performance and has to plan a trip to the Middle East to locate more materials to craft new instruments.
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Boujemaa Razgui playng one of his flutes. The musician had his luggage carrying his flutes and materials to make new ones confiscated by U.S. Customs.
There was no magic for some reed flutes that were seized by Kennedy Airport customs agents a few days before Christmas and destroyed — silencing a world-famous musician who is now unable to perform.
Moroccan-born musician Boujemaa Razgui — who plays a type of reed flute native to Berber shepherds — suffered a mishap of the worst kind Dec. 22 when customs agents seized his bag as he flew into Kennedy Airport after giving a concert in Madrid.
His precious reed flutes — 11 called nays and two called kawalas — were grabbed by a customs agent and deemed illegal agricultural product, Razgui said.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before," the anguished flutist told the Daily News. "The worst thing I worried about was that someone would sit on (the case), that was the biggest mistake I could imagine."
Razgui, one of about 15 musicians in the U.S. who can play the nay, is a world-renowned flutist who has performed at Lincoln Center, and also collaborated with Beyonce and Shakira on their track, "Beautiful Liar."
The 55-year-old father, a resident of Plymouth, Mass., said he's bereft without his flutes and had to cancel several performances over the holidays.
"I make my living from this, this is how I feed my family," said Razgui, who grew up on the streets of Marrakesh playing the reed flute.
Razgui said he's checked his flutes on flights before and never had a problem clearing U.S. customs.
He was unaware that his bags were under scrutiny as he waited in Kennedy Airport for his connecting flight to Boston on Dec. 22.
"If they had just called me to tell me what's going on, I would have a chance to at least save the nays," he said.
He didn't learn what had happened until the next day, he said. His bags didn't appear in Boston after his flight landed, but the airline dropped them off at his home Dec. 23, he said.
That's when he saw that the carefully packed box that carried his flutes was empty.
After driving to Logan Airport for answers, he was put in touch with a customs agent in New York, who told him his prized possessions had been destroyed, Razgui said.
Along with his flutes — one of which was made in Morocco more than 24 years ago — Razgui was transporting material to make a few new ones.
The reeds that are used to make nay are hard to find and only grow in southern Spain, Morocco, Egypt and parts of the Middle East, Razgui said.
It only takes about an hour to make a nay, but it can take a lot longer to find the right kind of reed, he noted.
Razgui said the flutes are made from reeds that have already been cut and dried — but a spokesman for the U.S. Customs Agent said the shoots found in his bag Dec. 22 were "fresh green bamboo" and therefore not allowed into the country.
"The fresh bamboo canes were seized and destroyed in accordance with established protocols to prevent the introduction of plant pathogens," the spokesman said.
Razgui said he'll have to plan a reed-seeking trip overseas to find material for new flutes — and he plans to secure the approval of the U.S. Department of Agriculture before departing.
"Syria is best, for these types of reeds, but the situation is not so good there right now. I may have to try Lebanon," Razgui said.
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