A Brazilian instrument. Originally a gourd or coconut carved with grooves and covered with a net of beads, it is twisted, shaken and tapped with the hands and fingers. Modern versions are made of plastic or metal and players can shake or spin the beaded chain, with varying speed and pressure, to produce a great variety of tones. Modern versions are usually called cabasa or afuche-cabasa (pictured here).
Afoxé has also come to mean a particular Carnaval rhythm derived from Afro-Brazilian religion as well as the group of people playing, dancing and singing the rhythm.