Vuvuzela South Africa

There is no doubt that the Vuvuzela (stadium horn) is destined to become the icon of the 2010 World Cup. I can’t even think of all the things it has been called, but it is a colorful plastic trumpet.

Blow a Vuvuzela

South African soccer fans blow the Vuvuzela at soccer matches to support their teams, to encourage the players, to show their displease and just to have a jorl ( South African slang for have a blast).

The Vuvuzela had been much maligned, especially by some Europeans after the Confederations Cup who called for the banning of the Vuvuzela at the 2010 World Cup. Not long after that, the  Vuvuzela was banned in Austria because soccer officials believed it was dangerous – as in people attack each other with it!

Bafana Bafana vs Japan

And then the South African National team, Bafana Bafana played a friendly against Japan  – and the poor Japanese team – wanted to have the Vuvuzela banned -their delicate ears were also offended by  “the noisy plastic trumpet”.

But fortunately we have FIFA head honcho Sepp Blatter on our side – who has been so consistent from the getgo that this will be an African World Cup …and when in Africa…

I often wonder if the developed world isn’t just projecting their feeling on us, the Africans – they also probably find us loud and noisy and embarrassing. Oh and dangerous- not sure whether the German team will be running out in flack jackets or not.

And just when we thought it was all over, the Shembe’s  (Nazareth Baptist Church) decided to claim the Vuvuzela.

USA Soccer Team

The Americans, who caused such a stir at the Confed Cup with their great football, just loved South Africa and their advance teams for the World Cup have come back with glowing reports.

Dutch Supporters

The Dutch supporters are going to be blowing orange vuvuzelas and tons of beaded bracelets from KwaZulu- Natal have been shipped to the Netherlands for local football fans.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The vuvuzela is making a noise again in South Africa – well people are making a noise about the vuvuzela, notably the Shembe’s or The Nazareth Baptist Church in KwaZulu-Natal.

Never a quite instrument, the vuvuzela or stadium horn has elicited a lot of noise, mostly from European journalists during and after the Confederations Cup. Then the Vuvuzela was banned in Austria from their stadiums and after playing here the Japanese became unhappy… well the saga goes on and on. But we love Sepp Blatter and Sepp loves South African soccer!

South African Soccer Supporters

And its a weird thing – or maybe not, but the only South Africans I’ve heard who don’t like the Vuvuzela, happen to be white. Damn, (Eish!) we still have these racial and cultural divides in South Africa… but as most of the soccer supporters in South Africa are black, the power of the vuvu lies with them, the supporters who blow their teams to glory week after week.

The fact remains – South African soccer fans and players love their vuvuzelas. This is the way we communicate our joy and passion for the beautiful game.

Vuvuzela and 2010 World Cup

And as football 365.com columnist, Richard Ferraris remarks about the 2010 World Cup and the Vuvuzela, “…the instrument will be one of the last vestiges of South Africaness at the showpiece, a tournament that very much belongs to FIFA-fo-fum and its not-so-friendly giant corporate mates.

Members of the Shembe faith (Nazareth Baptist Church) blow their trumpets

Shembe Trumpet – izimbomu

Now for the Shembe’s – well they tried in 2006 already, I believe to pull a law suite on Masincedane Sport who holds the patens and mass produces plastic vuvus. Personally, I do not think he has much to worry about because the Shembe trumpet izimbomu is not that much like a Vuvuzela and anyway, the Nazareth Baptist Church factions are usually too busy fighting among themselves to fight against anyone else.

Prophet Isaiah Shembe

Shembe – spokesperson Enoch Mthembu said that the horn was first used by Prophet Isaiah Shembe in 1910 and since then church members had been using it when they danced during worshipping.

The horn, called the imbomu, was originally made from cowhide but was now created out of corrugated iron, he said. It was used by members at the Shembe church’s original Ekuthakameni headquarters in Inanda, where the prophet was buried.

Supporters of the former AmaZulu football club, now the Zulu Royals, started using the horn at matches in about 1992, said Mthembu.

A man demonstrates sounding a shofar at a synagogue in Minnesota.

But Mthembe may not know that the Vuvuzela also closely resembles the kelp horn that fishermen blow and the kudu horn that Shangaans blow on traditional occasions. In the Jewish faith a shofar – a ram horn is blown.

I think the patent belongs to whoever designed the present form of the stadium horn and manufactured it.

Shembe Greed ?

It is also pretty disingenuous of the Shembe’s to jump in now, before the 2010 World Cup, just when there is money to be made – makes one a bit queasy about religion, doesn’t it?

Prices of Vuvuzelas in South Africa

Note: I have seven vuvuzelas, bought six of them at Makro for under R30 each. Yesterday say the official FIFA Vuvuzela (exactly the same, just with a sticker on) for almost R80!

Images:

Shofar by Jonathunder

Shembe Members blowing their trumpets

Popularity: 11% [?]

There is just something about a vuvuzela! If you don’t get it, you probably never will, but those of us who are fans of the colorful stadium horns that South African soccer supporters use to encourage the players, cannot resist a new vuvuzela – even at a technology conference.

I am attending the annual GovTech conference at the Albert Luthuli ICC in Durban this week along with about 2000 other delegates from across the country (and world). Yip, I know, government and technology sounds like an oxymoron – but I am deeply impressed with the conference so far – not to say the least with the superb facilities and high standard of the ICC.

Anyway, in the Exhibition space, Torque IT – the technology skills factory is giving away these bright orange branded vuvuzelas. Well I rushed down as fast as my feet could carry me to get one, meeting this group of guys in the process.

You see here in South Africa a vuvuzela says something about you – it says you’re into soccer; you are getting ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; you just like making a noise … or just you think vuvuzelas are really cool!

I guess I qualify on all counts.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Vuvuzela. Come on say the word – Vu-vu-ze-la! It is such an easy words to roll off the tongue – sort of like the sound it makes – it has a erupting vibration.

It is brightly coloured, about a meter long and is a standard part of a South African football fan’s kit – yebo, yes it is a Vuvuzela. I guess in the USA they’d call it a stadium horn – it is a long plastic trumpet that South African soccer fans blow enthusiastically and rhythmically during football matches.

History of the Vuvuzela

I don’t know about the history – some talk about kelp horns and fishing horns, others talk about kudu horns, like the rather unsightly kuduzela and others refer to the tin trumpets that some religious groups blow.

But South African soccer fans don’t really care where the vuvuzela came from; they just enjoy the fun and noise with the vuvuzelas.

Where to Buy a Vuvuzela

In South Africa, you can buy a Vuvuzela on the way to the match from one of the friendly vendors next to the road or you can go to a shop like Macro. You can also buy vuvuzelas from some sports shops, football clubs, supermarkets, online - just about anywhere.

Vuvuzela Colours

Made of plastic, they come in a variety of colours – the standard primary red, blue and yellow, green. But the most popular are those in club colours: black or white for fans of Orlando Pirates, yellow for Kaizer Chiefs, and so on.

Vuvuzela’s 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

According to joburg.or.za 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., in spite of those balling for the vuvuzela to be banned.

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.”

Popularity: 13% [?]