Move over vuvuzela. Brazil has unveiled the "caxirola", a yellow and green percussion instrument set to supplant the distinctive drone of the South African plastic horn at next year's football World Cup.
"I am convinced that the caxirola is not only compatible with football, but it is also a symbol of our country's huge capacity to offer a much better instrument that the vuvuzela," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said this week.
She said the instrument was meant to do two things: "combine image with sound and make goals possible."
Made of recycled plastic and designed by Brazilian star musician and songwriter Carlinhos Brown, the caxirola is said to produce a harmonious rattling sound when shaken.
The vuvuzela, a plastic horn based on a traditional South African instrument, makes a loud, raucous buzzing sound and became a symbol of South African football after fans adopted it as an essential accessory at matches.
It shot to worldwide prominence in the 2009 Confederations Cup, and became a major talking point at the World Cup the following year.
The sport's world governing body FIFA moved to ban the vuvuzela from stadiums after reports that it could cause permanent hearing loss at close range but backtracked and the insistent buzz became the soundtrack to the last World Cup.
Source: AFP
