The Vuvuzela!

7/28/2010

What's plastic, three feet long, brightly colored and sounds like an elephant? It's the vuvuzela , a three foot long plastic blowing horn that produces a loud, distinctive monotone B flat note. The ancestor of the vuvuzela is said to be the kudu antelope horn blown to summon African villagers to meetings. From close range the timbre evokes an elephant, but en masse the sound is more akin to a massive swarm of very angry bees. Since the late 1990's South African soccer fans have adopted the distinctive horn to express their enthusiasm during games and the stadiums are filled with its loud and raucous pitch.

With the World Cup being hosted in South Africa (June 11-July 11) the vuvuzela has made its international debut, and has been the subject of increasing controversy. International commentators, players and audiences have all called to ban vuvuzelas at soccer matches, but to no avail. In fact, the World Cup has inspired the construction of the world's largest vuvuzela, which boldly sounds across the city of Cape Town whenever a goal is scored.