Jump to content

Vuvuzela

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 90.178.180.22 (talk) at 16:03, 14 June 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Vuvuzela made of plastic
Vuvuzela note
A standard short vuvuzela plays a single B♭ note.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The vuvuzela (/vuːvuːˈzeɪlə/) , sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Setswana name), stadium horn or that afican crap, is a blowing horn approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa.[1] The instrument requires some lip and lung strength to blow and emits a loud monotone (B♭3). A similar instrument (known as corneta in Brazil and other Latin American countries) is used by football fans in South America.[2] Vuvuzelas have been controversial.[3] They have been associated with noise-induced permanent hearing loss,[4] cited as a possible safety risk when spectators cannot hear evacuation announcements,[5] and potentially spread colds and flu viruses on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.[6][7] Commentators have described the sound as "annoying" and compared it with "a stampede of noisy elephants,"[8] "a deafening swarm of locusts,"[9] "a goat on the way to slaughter"[10] and "a giant hive full of very angry bees."[11]

The sound level of the instrument has been measured at 127 decibels[12][4] contributing to matches with dangerously high sound pressure levels for unprotected ears;[13] however, a new model announced on 14 June 2010 has a modified mouthpiece which is claimed to reduce the volume by 20 dB(A).[12]

Origin

This type of plastic horn or trumpet has been used in Mexican stadiums since the 1970s.[citation needed] Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s. Well-known Kaizer Chiefs FC fan Freddie "Saddam" Maake claims to have invented the vuvuzela by adapting an aluminium version as early as 1965 from a bicycle horn after removing the black rubber to blow with his mouth. He later found it to be too short and joined a pipe to make it longer. Maake has photos of him in the 1970s and 1980s at local South African games and international games in 1992 and 1996 and at the 1998 World Cup in France, holding the aluminium vuvuzela. He says the instrument was banned as authorities ruled it a dangerous weapon, which prompted him to find a plastic company that could manufacture it.[14]

In 2001, South Africa-based company Masincedane Sport began to mass-produce a plastic version.[15][16] Neil van Schalkwyk, the co-owner of Masincedane Sport, won the SAB KickStart Award in 2001.[17]

Vuvuzelas have been said to be based on kudu horn instruments and thus rooted in African history, but this is disputed.[18][15] During the last quarter of a match, supporters blow vuvuzelas frantically in an attempt to "kill off" their opponents.[19][20]

Origin of the term

The origin of the name vuvuzela is disputed. It may have originated from Zulu for "making a vuvu noise," directly translated "vuvu-ing" because of the "vuvu" sound it makes, or from township slang related to the word for "shower".[15]

In early 2010 members of the Nazareth Baptist Church claimed that the vuvuzela belonged to their church, and threatened to pursue legal action to stop fans playing the vuvuzela at the World Cup.[21]

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

South African fan blowing a vuvuzela at the final draw for the 2010 World Cup

The vuvuzela came to international attention during the run-up to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup, both hosted in South Africa. The world football governing body, FIFA, expressed concerns that hooligans could use the instrument as a weapon and that businesses could place advertisements on vuvuzelas. However the South African Football Association (SAFA) made a presentation that vuvuzelas were essential for an authentic South African football experience,[3] and FIFA decided in July 2008 to allow vuvuzelas at Confederations Cup.[22] President of FIFA Sepp Blatter opposed banning the vuvuzela, saying "We should not try to Europeanise an African World Cup."[23] FIFA ultimately decided to allow the instrument for the 2010 World Cup as well,[24] except for vuvuzelas longer than one metre.[25]

Some football commentators, players, and international audiences argued against the vuvuzela during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. During the match between United States and Italy, BBC Sport commentator Lee Dixon referred to the sounds as "quite irritating".

2010 FIFA World Cup

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Hyundai and a local South African advertising agency called Jupiter Drawing Room created the largest working vuvuzela in the world — 114 feet (35 m) long — on an unfinished flyover road in Cape Town.[26] The vuvuzela is powered by several air horns attached at the "mouthpiece" end, and it will be blown at the beginning of each of the World Cup matches.

Controversy

As an annoyance during matches

After the Confederations Cup FIFA received complaints from multiple European broadcasters who wanted it banned for the 2010 FIFA World Cup because the sound drowns out the commentators. Prior to the event Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk and Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso also called for a ban, the latter saying the horns make it hard for players to communicate and concentrate while adding nothing to the atmosphere.[23][27]

On 13 June 2010 the BBC reported that the South African organising chief Danny Jordaan was considering a ban of the vuvuzela during matches.[28] Jordaan noted that "if there are grounds to do so, yes [they will be gotten rid of]" and that "if any land on the pitch in anger we will take action."[28]

During the event many competitors have criticised and complained about the noise caused by the vuvuzela horns, including France's Patrice Evra who blamed the horns for the team's poor performance.[28] He also claimed that the sound of the vuvuzelas away from the stadiums hampered the ability of the players to get their rest.[29] Other critics include Lionel Messi who complained that the sound of the vuvuzelas hampered communication among players on the pitch,[30] and broadcasting companies, who complained that commentators' voices were being drowned out by the sound.[29] Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo went on record to state that the sound of the vuvuzelas disturbed the teams' concentration.[31]

Others watching on television have complained that the ambient audio feed from the stadium only contains the sounds of the vuvuzelas and the natural sounds of people in the stands are drowned out.[32] A spokesperson for the ESPN network said it was taking steps to minimize the noise of the vuvuzelas on its broadcasts.[33] There are some that see their use during the performance of the national anthems as disrespectful.[34][35] Other critics have also noted that it is seen as disrespectful to be "dismissive of the cultures of the guest team supporters".[36]

During the opening ceremony the announcer had to ask fans using vuvuzelas to be quiet as he could not be heard.[37]

In support of the vuvuzela

However other commentators have defended the vuvuzela as being an integral and unique part of South African football culture and say it adds to the atmosphere of the game.[38][39] BBC sports commentator Farayi Mungazi said the sound of the horn was the "recognised sound of football in South Africa" and is "absolutely essential for an authentic South African footballing experience". He also said there was no point into taking the world cup to Africa and then "trying to give it a European feel".[40] The Daily Telegraph's chief sports reporter Paul Kelso described critics of the vuvuzela as 'killjoys' and said they should "stop moaning".[41]

Outside of matches and the need for earplugs

Vuvuzelas also began being blown outside of football stadiums, leading some shopping centres to ban them[42], and some World Cup players to complain that they were being awoken in their hotel rooms by the instruments [43]. Demand for earplugs to protect from hearing loss during the World Cup[44] outstripped supply, with many pharmacies running out of stock. Neil van Schalkwyk, inventor of the plastic vuvuzela, began selling novelty earplugs to fans.[45]

See also

References

  1. ^ "V is for Vuvuzela". FIFA. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  2. ^ "Corneta Plastica Estadio para Aficionados de Futbol". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateaccessed= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b Makhaye, Chris (July 13, 2008). "Blasts of joy as vuvuzelas unbanned". IOL.
  4. ^ a b "World Cup horn risks permanent damage to hearing: study". Associated Press. June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  5. ^ "Are vuvuzelas a safety risk?". IOL. May 27, 2010.
  6. ^ Snyman, Mia (June 10, 2010). "Study: Vuvuzela could spread colds and flu". Associated Press. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  7. ^ Presence, Chantall (June 10, 2010). "SPCA worried by vuvuzelas". iafrica.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  8. ^ "The World Cup noise that annoys". Sydney Morning Herald. June 4, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  9. ^ Clarke, Liz (June 6, 2010). "World Cup ready to open in South Africa and vuvuzelas will make plenty of noise". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2010. several coaches and players called for its banning, saying the din made it impossible to communicate on the pitch. Others claimed the vuvuzela posed a health hazard, stood to overwhelm TV broadcasts and was annoying, to boot. Why play the beautiful game, detractors asked, amid such horrible noise?
  10. ^ Makhanya, Mondli (May 30, 2010). "Nothing kills the joy of soccer like a bunch of wailing vuvuzelas". The Times. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  11. ^ Brunt, Stephen (June 11, 2010). "The happy chaos of Soccer City". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  12. ^ a b "New vuvuzelas turn down volume". Sport24. 2010-06-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Hall, Swanepoel (April 2010). "Football match spectator sound exposure and effect on hearing: A pretest-post-test study". SAMJ: South African Medical Journal.
  14. ^ Moyo, Phathisani (January 8, 2010). 8, 2010-vuvuzela-creator-blown-off "Vuvuzela Creator Blown Off". Mail & Guardian. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  15. ^ a b c "Vuvuzela: SA football's beautiful noise". SouthAfrica.info. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  16. ^ "The Boogieblast Vuvuzela". Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  17. ^ "SAB moves to protect vuvuzela". Fin24. May 19, 2004.
  18. ^ "The Real Vuvuzela Story". June 19, 2009.
  19. ^ "Vuvuzela here to stay". News24. May 23, 2004.
  20. ^ "Blow the vuvuzela if you're a fan". August 13, 2008.
  21. ^ Fisher, Jonah (16 January 2010). "Unholy row over World Cup trumpet". BBC Sport. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  22. ^ "Fifa gives Vuvuzelas thumbs up". 11/07/2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b "Dutch coach joins chorus to ban vuvuzela". ESPN Soccernet. June 20, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  24. ^ "FIFA give vuvuzela green light for World Cup". July 17, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  25. ^ "FIFA verbiedt lange vuvuzela's" (in Dutch). June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  26. ^ Rawlinson, Chris (8 June 2010). "Hyundai: Cape Town Giant Vuvuzela". Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  27. ^ "Fifa to discuss vuvuzela future". BBC SPORT. 18 June 2009.
  28. ^ a b c "World Cup 2010: South Africa ponders vuvuzela ban". BBC Sport. June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  29. ^ a b (AFP) – 9 hours ago. "AFP: World Cup organiser mulls vuvuzela ban". Google.com. Retrieved June 13, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ DPA. "The Hindu : Sport / Football : It is impossible to communicate, it's like being deaf: Messi". Beta.thehindu.com. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  31. ^ "Ronaldo hits out at vuvuzelas | Radio Netherlands Worldwide". Rnw.nl. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  32. ^ Valenti, Elio (June 13, 2010). "Buzz off, vuvuzelas!". New York Post.
  33. ^ "Organizers consider silencing vuvuzelas". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  34. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/International/Media/vuvuzela-banned-world-cup/story?id=10908539
  35. ^ http://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/WorldCup/TournamentNews/Raucous-vuvuzela-here-to-stay-20100607
  36. ^ http://www.timeslive.co.za/opinion/letters/article502285.ece/Vuvuzela-drowns-out-diversity-of-soccer-songs
  37. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Media/fifa-world-cup-2010-opening-ceremony-kicks-off/story?id=10888477
  38. ^ Matjila, Tsepho (June 14, 2010). "Hands off our Vuvuzelas". Sport24. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  39. ^ Khanyile, Slindile (June 14, 2010). "Vuvuzela gives reverberating feel to soccer". Business Report. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  40. ^ Mungazi, Farayi (June 19, 2009). "In defence of the vuvuzela". BBC Sport. Retrieved June 14,2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  41. ^ Kelso, Paul (June 14, 2010). "World Cup: Hoooonnnk! Its time for killjoys to stop moaning and embrace the vuvuzelaoo". Telegraph Blogs. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  42. ^ No vuvuzelas inside Sandton City Eyewitness News
  43. ^ WORLD CUP 2010: Vuvuzelas are here to stay - so show them some respect, insist tournament chiefs Daily Mail
  44. ^ http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=111728
  45. ^ Vuvuzelas unplugged for some Sport24
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vuvuzelas.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vuvuzela&oldid=367990211"