Latest Channel 4 News:
Row over Malaysian state's coins
'Four shot at abandoned mine shaft'
Rain fails to stop Moscow wildfires
Cancer blow for identical twins
Need for Afghan progress 'signs'

Vuvuzelas - the soundtrack of the World Cup

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 11 June 2010

They are the deafening African trumpets that are likely to be abiding sound of the 2010 World Cup. Vuvuzelas may have been banned by some teams during their training sessions - but Channel 4 News looks at the instrument every South African fan would not be without.

Supporters play vuvuzela trumpets (credit - Reuters)

As South Africa opened the World Cup, its fans danced to their own special tune: that from the African vuvuzela trumpet.

It is an instrument that has been heavily debated since making an appearance before a worldwide audience during last year's Confederations Cup.

Over the last 12 months the trumpets have managed to excite and annoy in equal measure, prompting teams to lobby Fifa President Sepp Blatter to have them banned.

A host of studies were commissioned that were supposed to prove the vuvezela was as dangerous as a loaded firearm.

The FIFA President defended the trumpets, saying they are as much a part of soccer in South Africa as bongo drums or chanting.

However the Netherlands team has banned the trumpets from training, after a session on Wednesday that was attended by 3,000 mainly Dutch and South African fans. And their vuvuzelas.

"It was annoying and I could not make myself audible," team coach Van Marwijk told a news conference on Friday. "That way training has no use if I can't address my players."

Expert tip
Vuvuzela supplier Boogieblast offers this advice: "Put your lips inside the mouthpiece. 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".

A national symbol
A meter long, brightly coloured and made of plastic, the vuvuzela sounds like an elephant.

The instrument is said to descend from the kudu horn - ixilongo in isiXhosa, mhalamhala in Tshivenda - blown to summon African villagers to meetings. Other versions were made of tin.

Some say the word "vuvuzela" comes from the isiZulu for  "making noise", others say it's from township slang related to the word "shower", because it "showers people with music"

Cape Town-based music educator Pedro Espi-Sanchis says the vuvuzela is a rousing instrument that, when tuned correctly, can be played in an orchestra as easily as a flute, violin or cello.

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.

The orchestra made its first public appearance at the Johannesburg Carnival in December 2006.

The sound of the vuvuzela
- click here to listen

The announcement in 2004 that South Africa would host the 2010 Fifa World Cup gave the vuvuzela a huge boost. An estimated 20 000 were sold on the day by enterprising street vendors.

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, it comes in a variety of colours - with drawings on the side warning against blowing in the ear.

Chief Local Organiser Danny Jordaan said last week that officials would test noise levels at the refurbished 90 000 seat Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg when it was almost full for the first time during a friendly between South Africa and Colombia.

He said fans would be asked not to blow the plastic trumpets during the national anthems, but there would be no bans.

So the world will have to get used to the sound of the vuvuzela during the next month.

Send this article by email


Watch the Latest Channel 4 News

Watch Channel 4 News when you want

Latest World Cup 2010 news

7-day catch-up

image

Watch Channel 4 News when you want to, from the last week.

Big screen action

England world cup fans cheer (Reuters)

Want to know where you can watch the football on a big screen?

To ban or not to ban?

image

World Cup: criticism and support grows for vuvuzela horns.

World Cup wonder

Aids orphan to open South Africa World Cup

A boy whose mother has Aids becomes a World Cup mascot.

Capello snaps

Fabio Capello (Reuters)

England boss Fabio Capello loses his temper at photographers.

South Africa in focus

image

Ahead of the World Cup Cape Town battles a drug epidemic.




Channel 4 © 2010. Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of external websites.