Following the civil war in Mozambique a very effective programme was started in which people with weapons could negotiate to exchange their weapons for an item which they themselves nominated and which would enable them to earn a living, for example, a plough, a sewing machine, a bicycle, a typewriter. In some cases a community that had a cache of hidden weapons would hand them over in exchange for a water pump or solar electricity generator for the community.

In this way people were not simply giving up what little they had but were getting something concrete in exchange.

The weapons were collected and cut up by a group of artists who then made the pieces of guns into artworks that are now sold and exhibited throughout the world. One work, "The Throne of Weapons" was bought by the British Museum who also commissioned "The Tree of Life" as part of their 2005 Africa show. Other methods of destroying the guns could be melting and reuse in equipment such as carts and ploughs.

It might be useful for people in Sierra Leone to contact the Mozambicans. See