The sound of South Africa or simply annoying?

After complaints from international journalists that the "terrible noise" made by the vuvuzelas, were distracting - FIFA is to meet with 2010 World Cup organisers in South Africa to discuss the use of the vuvuzela, the South African stadium horn, during matches.

Footballers upset as noisy fans blow their own trumpets
Call for ear-splitting vuvuzela to be banned for 2010 World Cup in South Africa

European television stations complain that the noise made by the horns at Confederations Cup matches interferes with the commentary. FIFA chairman Sepp Blatter has announced that he will discuss the complaints but is not a supporter of a vuvuzela ban. Blatter says that the horns are an integral part of the South African football experience which the rest of the world may have to accept.

Dutch TV broadcaster NOS owns the rights to both the World Cup and the Confederations Cup and its spokeswoman Mirjam Willinge says “dozens” of its viewers have complained about the noise that drowns out the voice of the commentator.

“This form of musical enthusiasm may sound strange to our ears, but apparently it is normal in South African football”, she says. “Although, on the other hand, we also get reactions from people who say that this is just part of African culture and that we should accept it”. Despite the complaints, there is not much the NOS – or any broadcaster – can do about it. “Although we’d like our viewers to be able to watch the matches without undue interference”.

Spanish international Xabi Alonso supports a vuvuzela ban. He says they make so much noise that the players have difficulty communicating with each other on the pitch. Blatter admitted that the vuvuzelas affected television broadcasts and assured everyone that Fifa would look into the matter.

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Cape Argus

It has bright colours, it produces only one note and it is the latest fad in international football. It’s the vuvuzela, a traditional African horn that has brought a little local flavour to the Confederations Cup football tournament held in South Africa. But it has also led to complaints from international TV viewers about the droning noise the horn produces.

The Confederations Cup acts as a warm up for next year’s World Cup when the world’s spotlights will be on South Africa, its people and their culture. The vuvuzela and its sounds are one aspect of that culture which has apparently taken both TV viewers and football organising body FIFA by surprise. An unpleasant surprise, that is.

Buzzing
The sound the vuvuzelas produce in the stadiums has been compared to the annoying sound of the buzzing of bees or car horns honking continuously. (Listen to what it sounds like here). “It’s not really music that you hear”, admits South African musicologist and music teacher Pedro Espi-Sanchis. “But there is a kind of vibration coming out of that wall of sound that can be addictive”.

The origins of the instrument lie in the traditions of black South Africans, Mr Espi-Sanchis says. “It comes from various South African cultures, with different names such as mala-mala or pala-pala. The horn was used in official ceremonies and in traditional dances. Just to make life a bit less arduous and more fun”.

Patterns
But don’t think that what you hear on TV are simply random sounds – there’s a whole pattern that these horn blowers follow, says Mr Espi-Sanchis. “It’s a game of call and response. You’ll have one group blowing one pattern with the other group responding with their own pattern. But as the calls and the responses are one and the same note, you can’t really differentiate between the two. And with thousands of people playing the same notes, it sounds like a real cacophony”.

Incidentally, the horns you hear in football stadiums aren’t the traditional instruments generations of South Africans have used. The modern version is made of plastic by sports manufacturers Masincedane Sport and comes in various bright colours. Marketed as ‘the original sound of South Africa’, the horns are selling like hot cakes in various countries, the company states on its website.

Orchestra
Whether one uses a traditional horn or the modern day plastic one, the vuvuzela still produces that one note. Mr Espi-Sanchis is convinced the instrument offers more than just that and to prove that, he has formed the Vuvuzela Orchestra. “I do believe that the vuvuzela hasn’t quite found its power yet. When people play together, maybe thousands of them, playing the same pattern at the same time could lead to an astounding experience”.

Six notes
Mr Espi-Sanchis created six different versions of the vuvuzela, each of which produces its own notes. With these six different horns (or notes), he can play virtually any type of South African music. “Just imagine us playing old political protest songs from the bad old days, or newly written songs about football and the vuvuzela itself. We show that there’s more to the instrument than just that one note”.

Thank goodness for the mute button! It will come in handy.



South Africa's WMD (Weapon of Mass Deafness) - its purpose, to drive opponents to mass distraction.

Regarding the complaints from international TV viewers, football body FIFA may ban the vuvuzelas from next year’s World Cup. But that’s not an option as far as Mr Espi-Sanchis is concerned. “It will only lead to fewer people coming to the stadiums, as so many people cannot imagine football without the vuvuzela”.

So will next year’s World Cup viewers simply have to turn down the volume to escape from the droning noises? “Don’t do it”, Mr Espi-Sanchis says firmly. “Give it time to get used to. Let the vuvuzela develop into the musical instrument it could be”.