South Africa: Vuvuzela - Local Football's Beautiful Noise
18 June 2009
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200906180211.html
What's plastic, a metre long, brightly coloured and sounds like an elephant? It's the vuvuzela, the noise-making trumpet of South African football fans, and it's come to symbolise the sport in the country.
It's an instrument, but not always a musical one. Describing the atmosphere in a stadium packed with thousands of fans blowing their vuvuzelas is difficult. Up close it's an elephant, sure, but en masse the sound is more like a massive swarm of very angry bees.
And when there's action near the goal mouth, those bees go really crazy.
To get that sound out requires lip flexibility and lung strength - in short, a fair amount of technique. So be sure to get in some practice before attending a South African football match, or you the sound you produce may cause some amusement in the seats around you!
Vuvuzela supplier Boogieblast offers this advice: "Put your lips inside the mouthpiece and almost make a 'farting' sound. Relax your cheeks and let your lips vibrate inside the mouthpiece. As soon as you get that trumpeting sound, blow harder until you reach a ridiculously loud 'boogying blast'.
Descendant of the kudu horn?
The ancestor of the vuvuzela is said to be the kudu horn - ixilongo in isiXhosa, mhalamhala in Tshivenda - blown to summon African villagers to meetings. Later versions were made of tin.
The trumpet became so popular at football matches in the late 1990s that a company, Masincedane Sport, was formed in 2001 to mass-produce it. Made of plastic, they come in a variety of colours - black or white for fans of Orlando Pirates, yellow for Kaizer Chiefs, and so on - with little drawings on the side warning against blowing in the ear!
There's uncertainty on the origin of the word "vuvuzela". Some say it comes from the isiZulu for - wait for it - "making noise". Others say it's from township slang related to the word "shower", because it "showers people with music" - or, more prosaically, looks a little like a shower head.
The announcement, on 15 May 2004, that South Africa would host the 2010 Fifa World Cup gave the vuvuzela a huge boost, to say the least - some 20 000 were sold on the day by enterprising street vendors.
It's a noisy thing, so there's no surprise some don't like it. Journalist Jon Qwelane once quipped that he had taken to watching football matches at home - with the volume turned low - because of what he described as "an instrument of hell".
Viva the vuvuzela orchestra!
Cape Town-based music educator Pedro Espi-Sanchis has a different view, however: to him the vuvuzela is a rousing instrument that can, when tuned correctly, play in an orchestra as easily as a flute, violin or cello.
Espi-Sanchis says the vuvuzela is a "proudly South African instrument" with roots deep in local traditional music. He was introduced to it over 30 years ago by renowned South African ethnomusicologist Andrew Tracey.
A fan of football himself, Espi-Sanchis came up with the idea of a vuvuzela orchestra after realising that crowds at a match could coordinate their trumpeting to make music. "I heard the vuvuzelas at soccer games and the sound was not musical at all," he says. "Vuvuzelas need to play rhythms together to really show their power."
In 2006 Espi-Sanchis and Thandi Swartbooi, head of the South African traditional music group Woman Unite, launched a vuvuzela orchestra as part of the Cape Town-based uMoya Music organisation.
Made up of a core group of seven people, with Espi-Sanchis as conductor and soloist on the lekgodilo flute and six musicians each playing a vuvuzela, the orchestra made its first public appearance at the Johannesburg Carnival in December 2006.
Their first performance at a soccer match was at the Nelson Mandela Challenge match at Ellis Park stadium in November 2007, when Bafana Bafana took on the USA.
vuvuzelas
* South Africa: Vuvuzelas Blast for National Soccer Team
* Africa: Continent's Soccer Teams Put Up Good Show
Espi-Sanchis found an excellent local football fan base to accompany the vuvuzela orchestra. Supporters of Bloemfontein Celtic football club, based in the Free State, "form one of the best fan bases in South African soccer," he says. "In November [2007], we taught 60 of these fans to play seven songs in just five days.
"Each of our six musicians was responsible for 10 fans, and they taught them to play their parts. Celtic fans also taught us some of their wonderful songs, and together we supported Bafana Bafana at the Mandela Challenge by singing and dancing with the vuvuzela orchestra."
"Now we want to bring up a fan base to support our national team," says Espi-Sanchis. "The vuvuzela music can be learnt very quickly ... we want to use the Celtic supporters as models for a national fan base."
Whether or not Espi-Sanchis' ambitions are realised, vuvezalas are bound to play an integral part in South Africa's 2010 celebrations, and World Cup visitors are sure to go home with a vuvuzela or two tucked in their luggage - and a little ringing in their ears ...
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Vuvuzela – The Sound of African Soccer
A Plastic Stadium Horn for the 2010 Soccer World Cup
© Karen Lotter
Source: http://internationalsoccer.suite101.com/article.cfm/vuvuzela_the_sound_of_african_soccer
There is no doubt that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is going to make the vuvuzela known worldwide. It is an essential part of every South African soccer fan's kit.
Judging from the results of the recent 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, some of the European players, fans and television crew were not too happy with the droning of the vuvuzelas, which sound like a swarm of very angry bees. They even appealed to soccer’s governing body FIFA to ban the vuvuzela from the 2010 World Cup.
Vuvuzelas and 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup
The announcement on 15 May 2004 that South Africa would host the FIFA World Cup in 2010 gave the vuvuzela a major boost, with some 20 000 sold on the day.
The debate around the vuvuzela will always generate more noise than the instrument makes. In this "Ban the Vuvuzela" debate FIFA has also come to the party. The world football governing body said on 11 July 2008 that fans could bring their vuvuzelas to stadiums for 2010 World Cup matches, in spite of those calling for the vuvuzela to be banned.
At a debate that lasted several hours, the South Africa 2010 Local Organizing Committee convinced FIFA that the vuvuzela was essential for “an authentic South African footballing experience.
What is a Vuvuzela?
It is brightly colored, about a meter long and is a standard part of a South African soccer fan’s kit. In the USA, they would probably call it a stadium horn. A vuvuzela is a long plastic trumpet that South African soccer fans blow loudly, enthusiastically and rhythmically during football matches.
In South Africa, the history of the vuvuzela is heavily debated - some talk about kelp horns and fishing horns like the whale crier blows in the Cape fishing town of Hermanus, others talk about kudu horns, and swear that the ancestor of the vuvuzela is the kudu horn - blown to summon African villagers to meetings. Later versions were made of tin.
Kuduzela - a Black Plastic Kudu Horn
Recently the kudu horn- version has resurfaced as a kind of rival to the vuvuzela - the rather unsightly kuduzela (a long, curved black plastic horn) . Yet others refer to the origins of the vuvuzela as the tin trumpets that some religious groups blow.
But South African soccer fans do not really care where the vuvuzela came from; they just enjoy their vuvuzelas. They love making a beautiful noise for the beautiful game, blowing the horns at the soccer matches and cheering for their stars. And the soccer players say that they feel inspired and uplifted by the sound of their fans making a noise for themin the stands.
Where to Buy a Vuvuzela
In South Africa, Vuvuzelas can be bought on the way to most matches from one of the vendors next to the road or from some sports shops, football clubs, and supermarkets. Vuvuzelas are also for sale online.
The copyright of the article Vuvuzela – The Sound of African Soccer in International Soccer is owned by Karen Lotter. Permission to republish Vuvuzela – The Sound of African Soccer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Read more: http://internationalsoccer.suite101.com/article.cfm/
vuvuzela_the_sound_of_african_soccer#ixzz0QbokqaJT
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Vuvuzela: a symbol of South Africa
(FIFA.com) Friday 19 June 2009
Source: http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/news/newsid=1073689.html
From the beat of the samba drums in Brazil to the ringing of cow bells in Switzerland to the Mexican wave, the idiosyncrasies of several nationalities become apparent at football matches. South Africans are no exception, as those who have descended on the country for this year's FIFA Confederations Cup have discovered.
The vuvuzela is a vociferous air horn that reverberates around arenas with rare energy. It is also a proud and permanent symbol of its patrons.
"Without the vuvuzela, I don't think I would be able to enjoy football," said Sadaam Maake, one of South African football's celebrity followers. "It brings a special feeling to the stadiums. It is something that makes the fans want to get behind their team."
The vuvuzela was originally made from a kudu horn. Folklore has it that, in the ancient days, it was used to summon people to gatherings. Over the last 15 years, the sight and sound of the instrument being blown at games has evolved into an emblem of hope and unity for many South Africans.
"When we started the vuvuzela, there was so much sadness in our country in those years and it brought so much joy," explained Mzion Mofokeng, another iconic football enthusiast. "All of a sudden people would go to the stadiums because of this instrument that was able to get fans on their feet and start cheering. For few hours, they would forget about the reality in our society and enjoy the sound.
However, Mofokeng did add a warning: "In order for it to produce a nice sound, someone must know how to blow it. It must be done with a controlled voice and you need some art for that."
All of a sudden people would go to the stadiums because of this instrument that was able to get fans on their feet and start cheering.
Mzion Mofokeng on the vuvuzela.
The vuvuzela was introduced to the world as an item synonymous with South African football on 15 May 2004, when it was announced the nation would host the 19th edition of the FIFA World Cup™. Upon confirmation of the decision, South Africa's sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile and then-finance minister Trevor Manuel led the chorus of vuvuzelas in the presence of dignitaries and members of the media from across the globe.
However, its sheer volume has taken many by surprise during the FIFA Confederations Cup. "For someone who is not used to it, it might be a bit awkward," said Gladys Gialey, a Bafana Bafana diehard. "This is why I believe we must educate fans from outside South Africa about it. For me, as a football fan, I don't have a problem with it."
Evidently, the vuvuzela is deeply entrenched in football culture in a country fiercely dedicated to staging an unforgettable FIFA World Cup. "It is African culture, we are in Africa and we have to allow them to practice their culture as much as they want to," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
"Vuvuzelas, drums and signing are part of African football culture. It is part of their celebration, it is part of their culture, so let them blow the vuvuzelas."
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South Africa’s Vuvuzela Orchestra
Source: http://www.southafrica.net/sat/content/en/us/full-article?oid=110965&sn=Detail&pid=106
Some people regard South Africa’s iconic soccer trumpet – the vuvuzela – as a cacophonic catastrophe, likening the sounds it makes to a donkey’s bray, a fog horn blast, the trumpeting of mad elephants or massive swarms of very angry bees. But that’s because they’ve never experienced the unifying rhythms of a Vuvuzela Orchestra for themselves.
Vuvuzela toting soccer supporters
Vuvuzela toting soccer supporters
South Africa’s 2010 stadiums are accessible via all major modes of transport.
Best time to visit
11 June – 11 July 2010, when the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa takes place of course! And if you come earlier, you’ll not only get to see more of our beautiful country and its people but you’ll be able to buy your vuvuzela early and start practising.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Today, traditional musical ensembles like Dinaka and the Tshikona of the Shangaan still perform ancient African ‘one, person, one note’ harmonies using kudu horns called Mhalamhala or Icilongo.
Blamed for creating a disharmonious din at matches and marring some fans' ability to enjoy the game, Pedro Espi-Sanchis, the creator of the world’s first Vuvuzela orchestra has some advice for visiting football fans to acclimatise to the sound of this local horn.
Instead of arriving at 2010 stadiums with earplugs, or staying home with the volume on the television turned down, “don’t judge it by what you hear on television, it sounds totally different live”, says Espi-Sanchis a Spanish-born African music expert and educator. Through his 3 Vuvuzela Orchestras Espi-Sanchis aims to inspire thousands of fans in 2010 to learn our songs, embrace our rhythm and make music with us on the vuvuzela, regardless of nationality or team allegiance.
The concept of a Vuvuzela Orchestra is a modern interpretation of the earliest forms of communal African music made using ancient African musical instruments. Mankind evolved in Africa and developed music as a collective expression of the African humanist philosophy: Ubuntu – I am who I am because of others around me; I am because we are. Based on the concept of ‘one person, one note”, this archaic, but inspirational style of making music – traditionally a 5 note scale – can be heard today in ancestral Shangaan horn ensembles and the vuvuzela blasts of contemporary South African soccer supporters.
The core of the orchestra comprises 6 standard vuvuzelas of different colours, modified to varying lengths to produce 6 different notes. Each colour represents a different chord, making it easy for fans to follow the repertoire of popular soccer songs that Espi-Sanchis has adapted and choreographed for mass participation. A conventional trumpet, drum and bass provide the melody and rhythm. An emcee or conductor leads fans in songs, dance and rhythmic, coordinated blowing of their vuvuzelas, backed-up by a chorus of hundreds of vuvuzela-trained local supporters.
Espi-Sanchis hopes that for 2010, there will be big screens showing the words to easy-to-learn South African soccer songs, further encouraging mass-footie fan participation. The result? African musical magic out of what critics decry as sonic chaos.
“Can you imagine thousands of soccer lovers, all singing, dancing and playing vuvuzelas together? One crowd calls, and the other answers. This is Ubuntu in action!” Espi-Sanchis enthuses.
It’s ‘one fan, one note’ – and it’s worth blowing our horns about.
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Vuvuzela Popular Symbol of South African Football
By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
25 June 2009
Source: http://www.voanews.com
FIFA's 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa is drawing to a close and international football fans have become intimately, and sometimes controversially, acquainted with the Vuvuzela, a raucous plastic horn that has become the country's most popular symbol of the game.
It is raucous, very loud and unmistakable. For some it is reminiscent of a trumpeting elephant, for others a voracious swarm of bees. It is the vuvuzela - a 60-centimeter, brightly colored plastic horn that has become the sound and a symbol of South African football. Its sound has relentlessly dominated the matches of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
International fans who traveled to South Africa for the cup had no choice but to adapt to the noise during matches, but most seemed to have adapted well and commented on how it contributed to a wonderful atmosphere at the matches. Some even bought their own vuvuzelas and blasted along with their local hosts.
Reaction from international broadcasters has been mixed and some complained to FIFA that the noise was too loud and interfered with their broadcasts.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter talks to reporters after news conference in South Africa, 19 Jun 2009
FIFA President Sepp Blatter talks to reporters after news conference in South Africa, 19 Jun 2009
There have been enough complaints that FIFA has agreed to consider requests that vuvuzelas be outlawed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, also to be staged in South Africa. But FIFA president Sepp Blatter has made it clear he thinks they should stay.
"We cannot say tomorrow morning from now on you don't use that," said Sepp Blatter. "What is that? That is really an interference in a personal right."
Horns, in one form or another, have always been part of football games in South Africa. But vuvuzelas were first manufactured by Neil van Schalkwyk's Masincedane Sports in Cape Town in the late 1990s. He says that international broadcasters might want to consult with their South African counterparts about optimal broadcasting alongside vuvuzelas.
"The South African broadcasters, they have been broadcasting in this type of environment for the past few years, and I think maybe it would be a good idea [for international broadcasters] to go and consult them, in terms of tuning their equipment for this atmosphere," said Neil van Schalkwyk.
Van Schalkwyk notes South African football fans will not look kindly on any attempt to outlaw use of vuvuzelas in next year's world cup.
"I think there will be an absolute outcry should that be the case," he said. "South Africans are very proud of the culture that is created, and the atmosphere that is created by the product and I think South Africans in general would be rather offended if that should happen."
Van Schalkwyk tells VOA the tradition of horn blowing in South Africa is ancient with kudu horns being used for centuries to call public meetings. He says he wanted to base his product on that tradition.
"And we saw there was a demand for some type of noise maker because of the history of sound, of that distinctive kudu horn sound really that had existed in South Africa and we then embarked on developing a plastic version of a horn, that can be able to supply this demand," said Van Schalkwyk.
Van Schalkwyk first named his horn the boogie-blaster, but the name did not go down well with football fans who soon christened it the vuvuzela - a word of uncertain origin which means pump or lift it up, implying lifting spirits. And South Africans will be looking to have the vuvuzela uplift their spirits during the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
South Africa: Vuvuzelas Blast for Bafana
Mninawa Ntloko
18 June 2009
Source:http://allafrica.com/stories/200906180006.html
Rustenburg — A near-hysterical Dutch journalist yesterday voiced his intense dislike for the South African vuvuzela to Fifa president Sepp Blatter, asking the world football boss if it would not be possible for the "noisy and irritating instrument" to be banned before the start of the Soccer World Cup next June.
Displaying the fine-tuned skills of a slippery politician, Blatter reminded his inquisitor that he was in Africa and to accept that local fans were never going to be anything like what he was accustomed to in Europe.
The Dutch journalist looked as if he was about to burst the throbbing vein in his forehead when a crescendo of vuvuzelas nearly blew the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace down after Bafana Bafana beat New Zealand 2-0 to haul themselves back into contention for a place in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup last night.
An impressive brace from man-of- the-match Bernard Parker in either half was enough to give Bafana hope of reaching the semifinals of the eight- nation tournament.
GCIS
A vuvuzela trumpet.
While the rare victory -- SA last won a competitive match when they beat Equatorial Guinea in a 2010 African Nations Cup qualifier in Malabo seven months ago -- was appreciated by the noisy crowd, the reality is Bafana are still not completely assured of a semifinal berth. The runner-up spot in Group A could now be decided on goal difference on Saturday.
Group rivals Iraq face the rather generous New Zealanders at the same time as Bafana's engagement against group winners Spain. If the Iraqis are also able to breach the sieve-like Kiwis, the national team would require a point against the fearsome Spaniards to guarantee qualification for the knockout stage.
But the realities of the permutations that still exist were never going to dampen the mood here at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, and the crowd celebrated the confidence- boosting victory with the same relieved joy that was etched on the players' faces.
Beleaguered Bafana coach Joel Natalino Santana made his job a lot easier when he abandoned his ultraconservative formation last night and dropped defensive midfielder Benson Mhlongo. His place in the starting lineup was taken by Everton star Steven Pienaar.
Pienaar's introduction helped ease off some of the creative responsibilities that were solely on Teko Modise's shoulders in the doomed opening match against Iraq and Bafana suddenly looked a different team from the lacklustre outfit of four days ago.
vuvuzelas
* Africa: Continent's Soccer Teams Put Up Good Show
* South Africa: Vuvuzela - Local Football's Beautiful Noise
Bafana could have gone into the lead early in the match when Modise set up an inviting chance for Thembinkosi Fanteni inside the box and as the expectant crowd rose to its feet in anticipation of a goal, the Israel-based striker inexplicably miscued with only New Zealand goalkeeper Glen Moss at his mercy.
That missed opportunity set the tone for the rest of this decidedly one- sided encounter and Bafana were constant visitors to Moss's penalty box.
Defender Tsepo Masilela -- who had a storming match down the left -- twisted New Zealand's Dave Mulligan into knots before setting up the perfect pass to a grateful Parker who put the ball past Moss to open Bafana's account in the first half.
Masilela was again the architect of the second goal and after some fine work on the left, he delivered yet another telling pass to Parker and Bafana never looked back.
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Africa: Continent's Soccer Teams Put Up Good Show
Aliou Goloko
17 June 2009
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200906170022.html
Johannesburg — Although South Africa and Egypt, Africa's representatives at the Confederations Cup, failed to win maximum points in their first games, they are still very much in the tournament and their performances give cause for optimism.
A little less than a year before the kick-off of the first World Cup tournament on African soil, South Africa's Bafana Bafana are determined to put up a good showing to boost the hope and confidence of their supporters.
It was in this spirit, boosted by a magnificent opening ceremony, that the host team walked onto the pitch in Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, on Sunday to confront the Asian champions, Iraq, in the opening match.
In a very physical encounter, and faced by an Iraqi side resilient to the intimidating sounds of the "Vuvuzela" - a kind of trumpet used by South African supporters to give vibe to the game and intimidate their adversaries - Bafana Bafana could not find the back of the net and thus failed to record a win.
They tried everything they could but young players like Thembinkosi Fanteni and Benard Parker proved unimpressive in a game of this magnitude. Credit must however be given to the Iraqi keeper, Mohamed Kassid, without whom South Africa would have walked away with maximum points.
Africa's Soccer Teams Put Up Good Show
* Egypt: Fifa Reject Egypt's Complaint Over Goal
* South Africa: Bafana Draw Against Iraq as Soccer Begins
* Egypt/South Africa: Fans Arrive in South Africa for Football Festival
* South Africa: Incredible Atmosphere At Ellis Park
* Africa: Confed Cup to Benefit Continent
Nevertheless, the commitment and dedication of the untiring Macbeth Sibaya and his teammates proved wrong those South Africans who doubt the capacity and readiness of the country's selection for the 2010 World Cup.
In their next outing against Fernando Torres's Spain, Joel Santana's men must lift their game and avoid a defeat, as this will greatly compromise their chances of qualifying for the next round.
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V is Vuvuzela
Source: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/destination/southafricafromatoz/letter=v/index.html
South African fans have unique ways of showing their dedication to their team, and football is certainly no exception.
The vuvuzela has become part of the official South African football fans arsenal. It is a plastic trumpet which makes a distinctive noise, comparable to an elephant blowing their trunk. A stadium can often erupt with noise from fans blowing on their vuvuzelas. The South African Football Association, in a community-building project, has helped manufacture the coloured plastic trumpet.
Another interesting piece of football paraphernalia is the makarapa - a decorated miner's helmet. Football fans dedicate hours to adorn their makarapa with the colour and logo of their favourite team. While there is no clear account of how the concept came about, it is often attributed to Alfred 'Magistrate' Baloyi.
Both the vuvuzela and the makarapa are unique to South African football. In addition to this, fans also sometimes wear large sunglasses or signs with phrases dedicated to their team. Face painting is also common practice, often with dedicated fans painting the South African flag on their face.
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Blasts of joy as vuvuzelas unbanned
July 13 2008 at 01:32PM
By Chris Makhaye
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=vn20080713120228203C272609
Local soccer lovers are over the moon at Fifa's decision to lift the ban on vuvuzelas during the 2010 World Cup.
The decision was taken on Friday after South African football officials made representations for the ban to be lifted to add to the atmosphere during the games. To avoid ambush marketing and advertising campaigns by companies not part of Fifa's official sponsors for this tournament, only vuvuzelas free of advertising or promotional signage will be allowed.
Saddam Maake, Kaizer Chiefs supporters' spokesperson credited with popularising the instrument, said he was delighted to hear the news.
"When we got the message that vuvuzelas were going to be banned, we were disappointed. We knew it had become part of our culture and offered free entertainment during matches," he said.
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Vuvuzela here to stay
2004-05-23 08:25
Source: http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/2e8c53c526ce4c479707dfbce94b69bb/23-05-2004-08-25/Vuvuzela_here_to_stay
Johannesburg - Former South African president Nelson Mandela ordered hundreds to be taken to Zurich to support South Africa's 2010 Football World Cup bid.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel blew one. So did newly elected provincial premier Ebrahim Rasool.
And when Fifa president Sepp Blatter pulled the country's name from the envelope last weekend, the sound of tens of thousands of "vuvuzelas", the elongated, trumpet-like noisemaker of choice for millions of soccer fans could be heard across the country.
Made from plastic and emitting a braying sound similar to that of an elephant, the vuvuzela over the last week has etched itself as a symbol of South African football.
It has become so popular since its introduction at stadiums in the late 1990s, that a major South African brewer took steps to register the design as a trademark to protect its inventor, Neil van Schalkwyk.
"The vuvuzela has really become a symbol of South African soccer," said Putco Mafani, communications manager for the hugely popular Kaizer Chiefs football club.
"It's loud, proud and shows the passion that South African football fans have for the game," Mafani, who is widely credited for popularising the instrument, told AFP. Nobody is quite sure where the name "vuvuzela" comes from.
Mafani said he believed the name originated from township slang and meant "to shower someboby with music" or because it resembled a shower head.
Other theories suggest that the word vuvuzela could roughly be translated from Zulu simply as "making noise".
What is certain though is that its origins can be traced back to ancient times in Africa.
"In ancient times, in African cultures people used to blow on a kudu (buck) horn to summon villagers to a gathering," Mafani said.
In many regards, going to a soccer game in urban South Africa could be equated to attending a village meeting.
"We have actively encouraged our Kaizer Chiefs fans to come to matches dressed in (yellow) soccer gear, carrying their vuvuzelas."
There are more practical reasons why Chiefs fans, especially during the last 15 minutes of a game, were encouraged to blow their vuvuzela's as loud as they could.
"There is an old African saying that goes like this: 'The baboon is killed by a lot of noise'. We make as much noise as we can to confuse our opponents on the field," said Mafani.
"Remember this game is not like golf or tennis, where you are actively encouraged to keep quiet. This is a loud game."
Mfani said big plans for the instrument were in the pipeline.
"We are in negotiations at the momement to get the vuvuzela named as the official instrument for 2010," he told AFP.
Its manufacturers hoped that some 500 000 would be sold in South Africa by the time the World Cup comes around.
- AFP
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Blow the vuvuzela
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Source: http://www.joburg.org.za/fifaworldcup/content/view/3271/270/
The loud blaring around the stadium is the sound of South African football – the vuvuzela. And the brightly coloured plastic trumpet is standard equipment if you’re a football fan.
The sound of South African football
BRIGHTLY coloured, plastic, a metre long and weighing about 100 grams, the trumpeting vuvuzela is the sound of football in South Africa.
Some say its history goes way back in time - long before football was the country’s most popular sport. The first vuvuzela, it is said, was the kudu horn used to call African villagers to community meetings.
Later these horns were made of tin. They are also remarkably similar to the long horns used by the Shembe, a religious order based in KwaZulu-Natal, during their high holy days.
The loud braying trumpets became so popular at football matches in the late 1990s that an empowerment company, Masincedane Sport, was set up in 2001 to mass-produce them. Today they can be bought from the dozens of friendly vendors lining the sides of major roads, from sports stores, from football clubs, from supermarkets, online - just about anywhere.
Made of plastic, they come in a variety of colours - the standard primary red, blue and yellow, with a smattering of green too. But the most popular are those in club colours: black or white for fans of Orlando Pirates, yellow for Kaizer Chiefs, and so on.
Air horn
And the sound? An elephant, a swarm of angry bees, a fog horn - whatever it is, it is loud. When there's action near the goal mouth, it is something to behold; a sound you are unlikely to forget in a hurry.
The cacophony gets louder and more frantic towards the end of the game. Putco Mafani, the public relations officer of Platinum Stars, is widely credited for popularising the instrument - done during his term as communications manager for the hugely popular Kaizer Chiefs football club.
News reports quote him as saying fans, especially during the last 15 minutes of a game, are encouraged to blow their vuvuzelas as loud as they can.
"There is an old African saying that goes like this: 'The baboon is killed by a lot of noise'. We make as much noise as we can to confuse our opponents on the field," said Mafani. "Remember this game is not like golf or tennis, where you are actively encouraged to keep quiet. This is a loud game."
Other quarters claim the vuvuzela’s appearance at football matches was the work of Kaizer Chiefs supporter Saddam Maake.
While it has its roots firmly in ancient African culture, there’s some uncertainty around the origin of the word "vuvuzela".
Some believe the name originated from township slang and means "to shower somebody with music" or because it resembles a shower head. Another theory is that it is a rough translation from isiZulu simply meaning "making noise". Other reports Wikipedia refer to it as a lepatata, its less popular Setswana name.
The announcement on 15 May 2004 that South Africa would host the FIFA World Cup in 2010 gave the vuvuzela a major boost, with some 20 000 sold on the day. Vuvuzelas became so popular that in May of that year SABMiller, the South African-born multinational brewer, moved to protect it Fin24
The company said that the vuvuzela would be fully trademarked to prevent its inventor being ripped off. It would give entrepreneur Neil van Schalkwyk legal and mentoring aid. Van Schalkwyk set up Masincedane Sport through SAB Kickstart.
Go ahead
And FIFA has come to the party too. The world football governing body said on 11 July 2008 that fans could bring their vuvuzelas to stadiums for 2010 World Cup matches.
At a debate that lasted several hours, the South Africa 2010 Local Organising Committee (OC) convinced FIFA that the vuvuzela was essential for “an authentic South African footballing experience”.
The debate came after FIFA had expressed some concern that vuvuzelas could be used by businesses to have an advertising presence in World Cup stadiums.
A vuvuzela orchestra was also formed by musician Pedro Espi-Sanchis in 2006. He plans to have 36 orchestra members play the national anthem, the popular Shosholoza song and other songs that fans have created for their teams in 2010.
The vuvuzela is a feature of football matches in South Africa, and the instrument has made its mark in other sports. It is now heard at rugby and cricket games too.
Sources:
www.SouthAfrica.info
www.News24.com
www.Fin24.com
www.Wikipedia.com
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Fifa gives Vuvuzelas thumbs up
2008-07-11 18:26
Source: http://www.news24.com
Johannesburg - Fifa confirmed on Friday that South African football fans will be allowed to bring traditional Vuvuzelas to matches at the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Permission to allow fans to bring the noise-making trumpets to the stadiums was granted after a debate that lasted several hours, during which time World Cup organisers managed to convince football's ruling body that the instruments were essential for an authentic South African footballing experience.
Fifa had expressed concerns that the instruments could be used as weapons by hooligans or by businesses to have an advertising presence in World Cup stadiums.
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Should FIFA Ban the Vuvuzela for the World Cup?
By Tobias Funke
Contributor Written on August 26, 2009
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/243213-should-fifa-ban-the-vuvuzela-for-the-world-cup
BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 20: A South African fan blows a vuvuzela during the FIFA Confederations Cup match between Spain and South Africa at Free State Stadium on June 20, 2009 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
My fiancee thinks I'm crazy.
This is due to my belief that I can single-handily swing a game by cheering. I somewhat believe it when I'm standing in front of my television, and I wholeheartedly believe it when I'm at the game and yelling at the top of my lungs.
However, no matter how loud I yell, I can never equal the noise produced by the vuvuzela.
For those of you unaware of what that is, the vuvuzela is a fairly innocent looking plastic horn that emits a loud, annoying sound that is driving soccer fans crazy.
Thousands of fans blowing a vuvuzela at the same time can actually swing a game. It can create so much noise that players cannot communicate with each other on the field when they are being blown. Fans cannot hear the commentary. Basically, the vuvuzela is creating a nightmare.
But FIFA won't ban it. In fact, they are supporting it. Hans Klaus, director of communications at FIFA, has said that he hopes the vuvuzela will be a hit and that it will provide the World Cup with "African sound."
Is this just another instance of soccer fans being the rowdiest, craziest, and loudest fans in the world? Or is the vuvuzela a great way to support your team?
We'll find out in less than a year when the World Cup starts up. Just make sure you bring earplugs.
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Prepare for vuvuzelas at next year's World Cup
By Raf Casert, AP Sports Writer
Posted 6/18/2009 3:15 PM
Source:http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2009-06-18-3340356624_x.htm
RUSTENBURG, South Africa — Take away the vuvuzela trumpet, and you take away the essence of the South African football fan.
So when European complaints came in that the relentless noise during Confederations Cup games was paining their sensitive ears, South Africans showed little compassion.
"MOVES TO BAN VUVUZELAS," news billboards across the capital Pretoria blared on Thursday as fans became outraged.
"This is our voice. We sing through it," said Chris Massah Malawai, a 23-year-old company owner who was cheering, and blaring, for Bafana Bafana as they beat New Zealand on Wednesday. "It makes me feel the game."
At 17, student Rolebolige Matolindizo and his trumpet are inseparable.
"My vuvuzela will be part of my life," he said.
Chief World Cup organizer Danny Jordaan has already said how the roof architecture of the Soccer City Stadium for the next year's final would have the vuvuzela noise cascading down the stand and produce "the noisiest World Cup ever."
In essence, it would be like banning European fans from singing and roaring at games. And FIFA itself has promoted the vuvuzela as something uniquely South African on par with the makarapa, the crazy and colorful miner's helmets stitched together from recycled materials. At least those are hard on the eyes only.
"I know there are people who are not happy with that," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said of the vuvuzelas, but then added that it wasn't as bad as a night on the town. "When you are in a pop concert or you go to a disco in the night, I think your hearing will be much more challenged than in a football field."
On Thursday, Brazil striker Robinho complained about not being able to hear instructions from coach Dunga because of the vuvuzelas. Brazil still beat the United States 3-0.
Dunga said the issue needed to be looked at.
"This is something that needs to be decided by the people in charge," the former Brazil captain said.
"It's a matter of culture," Dunga added. "You have to weigh in the pros and the cons, see if it's negative or positive."
Spain seemed ready to accept the horns.
"It's true that they make a lot of noise, but we'll just have to get used to them," Spain forward Santi Cazorla said.
FIFA has said it will discuss the instrument with the local organizing committee of the World Cup, but not before the end of the Confederations Cup.
The official vuvuzela is a plastic horn in colorful colors that is 61 centimeters (24 inches) long and weighs no more than 110 grams (4 ounces). The name roughly translates from Zulu to making a lot of noise.
Stadiums need only to be half full and the din of the trumpets already exceeds the noise level in many a European stadium. It usually starts as soon as the first fans enter the stadiums and continues throughout the game, turning into a monotonous blare as if produced by a million bees. Others say it sounds like elephants blowing their trunks.
"Our fans blow their vuvuzelas before the match. Maybe because they know that they might not be celebrating afterwards," Jordaan joked.
Beville Bachmann has seen plenty of controversy surrounding the trumpet of which he now co-owns the trademark.
"We make no excuses about the noise," he said in a telephone interview. "We are quite proud of it."
Sales have gone in the hundreds of thousands and are expected to reach record levels with the hype around the World Cup.
Bachmann said the origins may go back to the use of kudu antelope horns.
"It is no longer environmentally friendly to put down a kudu for this," Bachmann said. "We think plastic is better."
And like it or not, the vuvuzela will be there next year, right through the July 11, 2010, World Cup final.
"When we go to South Africa, we go to Africa," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said. "It is noisy. It is something else than in the rest of world."
There is only one way to deal with them, Bachmann said.
"If you cannot beat them, join them," he said. "If you find it offensive on the ears, take a vuvuzela and blow it. It will no longer be an irritation."
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THE SOUND OF SOUTH AFRICA
FIFA give vuvuzela green light for World Cup
Reuters
July 17, 2009
Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=661424&sec=worldcup2010&cc=3888
Next year's World Cup promises to be a loud affair after FIFA rejected calls to ban the noisy vuvuzela, a plastic trumpet, from the event in South Africa.
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The instrument's incessant drone drew protests at last month's Confederations Cup in South Africa, with broadcasters complaining it was drowning out their commentary and some players saying they could not communicate over it.
"That would mean one would have to take away the cow bells from Swiss fans and ban English fans from singing," Hans Klaus, director of communications at world soccer's governing body, told reporters on Friday.
"We approach this in a relaxed manner. I am convinced the vuvuzelas will be a hit at the World Cup. It will be a World Cup with African sound."
After a barrage of complaints about the instrument, a regular fixture at domestic matches in South Africa, FIFA pledged to discuss whether the vuvuzela had a place at the World Cup.
Vuvuzelas, given away free to fans at the Confederations Cup, were a constant background sound in all matches.
Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso was one of the critics at the time.
"I think they should be banned. They make it very difficult for the players to communicate with each other and to concentrate," he said.
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