An afoxé is a Brazilian instrument made of a gourd wrapped in a net of beads that makes a loud, sharp noise when shaken. It’s very similar to the African sekere–generally a bit smaller–and is one of the distinctive instruments of an Afro-Brazilian music and an Afro-Brazilian musical genre of the same name.
COUNTRY: Brazil
KEY GENRES: Afoxé
An agogô is a pair of connected bells–one larger, one smaller–that a percussionist strikes with a stick to maintain a rhythm in Afro-Brazilian music. The agogô originated in Africa–it is prominent throughout West Africa, and is believed to have originated in the Yoruba communities of Nigeria–and is similar to the African gankogui bells.
COUNTRY: Brazil
KEY GENRES: Afoxé, Capoeira, Samba
