Shekere
The Shékere or Chekere is an African-American rattle from West Africa , which has spread in several countries in Central and South America and of which there are various variants and different names.
The body consists of a calabash , an empty, dry and hard pumpkin fruit that serves as a sound body and around which a network of seeds, pearls, cowrie shells or plastic balls is stretched. In the African version, this net is closed at the bottom, while in the Cuban version the bottom remains open to serve as a striking surface and in the Brazilian version the net is completely open. In the Shékere, the neck of the calabash is removed, which distinguishes it from the Axatse , which is related to it , which is smaller and whose neck is not cut off. Instead of the bottle gourd, pieces made industrially from fiberglass are also offered.
There are the following variants:
- Shékere ( Cuban music )
- Xequerê or Afoxé ( Brazilian music )
- Xequebúm (Brazilian music, large variant)
- Agbe ( Nigeria )
literature
- Andreas Kohlmann: Percussion: Africa, Brazil, Cuba . Voggenreiter, Bonn 1990. ISBN 3-8024-0190-5 .
Web links
- Thomas Altmann ( Memento from July 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), article from 2005: The Shekere ( Memento from July 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) and many links Concerning Afro-Caribbean Religion, Santería and Batá Drumming ( Memento from March 10 2005 in the Internet Archive ) (October 2004)