Caxirola: Brazilian musical instrument

The caxirola is a Brazilian percussion musical instrument that is created by Carlinhos Brown and is made up of a closed plastic basket with a flat-bottom filled with small synthetic substances in an attempt to create a sustainable product. The instrument was based on the caxixi as such it is also an indirectly struck idiophone that can be sounded by shaking. The caxirola was approved on September 27, 2012 by the Brazilian ministry of sports and was made to be the official musical instrument of the 2014 FIFA World cup in Brazil but it will not be allowed to be used inside the stadiums of both the confederation cup and the world cup as the country’s government takes the instrument to be a security risk.

source: caxirola-maracas.com

Carlinho Brown has as well expressed concern on the developed unpleasing sound of the official musical instrument of the world cup competition, as it happened with the vuyuzelas of the previous tournament. According to Brown; “the instrument respect the sound limits. The caxirola reproduces the sound of nature, of sea and because of that we worked with the best acoustic engineers so that the sound of the instrument will be made nice and pleasant”. The instrument was presented at the opening of a festival that is called the “O Olhar que Ouye” consisting of 19 works of art by Brown. The caxirolas was tested by the president of the country Dilma Rousef who claimed that they were more beautiful that the vuyuzelas.

In March 2013, the FIFA tried to forbid the usage of the instrument during the games as they claimed that the instrument can be used as a weapon or as a method of publicity. And like evidence, the instrument was thrown into the field by the Bahia supporters as an answer for the team’s 5-1 loss to their greatest rivals Vitoria in April 2013. And in the late may 2013, the Brazilian minister of justice, Jose Eduardo Cardozo confirmed that the instrument would not be allowed into the stadium during both the confederation cup competition of 2013 and the world cup in 2014. The instrument was killed with criticism by people who wish for the promotion and preservation of the Brazilian cultures, claiming that the instrument is nothing but a copy of caxixi and simply adding slots for the finger and that the native and ancient cultures of the country should be recognized as the true producers of the instruments and for that, they should be credited with that.