The vuvuzela ( / v uː v uː ˈ z ɛ l ə / ) is a horn made of inexpensive plastic, about 65 centimeters (2 feet) long. It makes a loud, single-tone sound, usually around B♭ 3 (the first B♭ below middle C). Some models have two parts to make storage easier, and this design also allows the pitch to change. Different manufacturers make many types of vuvuzela, which can produce varying levels of sound intensity and frequency. The loudness depends on how the user blows and the pressure applied. The noise from vuvuzelas during an indoor event led the U.S. NCAA to ban them permanently after a game on February 7, 1987, between the Brown Bears and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers. The noise was so loud that Brown University officially complained, and the "RPI Rule" was widely accepted to address the issue.
The vuvuzela is often used at football matches in South Africa and has become a symbol of South African football because stadiums are filled with its sound. The loudness of the vuvuzela gained global attention during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, as South Africa prepared to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The vuvuzela has caused controversy when used at football matches. Its extremely loud sound can cause permanent hearing loss for people who are not protected and are close to the device. The sound level can reach 120 decibels (the level that can cause pain) at a distance of one meter (3.3 feet) from the opening of the vuvuzela.
Origin
Plastic aerophones, such as the corneta and similar devices, have been used in Brazil and other Latin American countries since the 1960s. Similar "stadium horns" have also been sold and used in the United States since that time.
These types of horns have existed for much longer. A drawing of an instrument similar to a vuvuzela appears in Winslow Homer’s 1870 painting titled The Dinner Horn.
The origin of the vuvuzela is not agreed upon. The word "vuvuzela" first appeared in South Africa and may come from the Zulu or Nguni languages. It is also called Lepatata in the Sepedi language, which means "to make a blowing sound" (directly translated as ukuvuvuzela).
Disputes about who invented the vuvuzela began in early 2010. A South African fan named Freddie "Saddam" Maake claimed he created the vuvuzela by making an aluminum version in 1965 from a bicycle horn. He provided photos showing him holding the aluminum vuvuzela in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. He also said he coined the word "vuvuzela" from the Zulu language, meaning "welcome," "unite," and "celebration." A plastics factory called Masincedane Sport made the widely used plastic vuvuzela common at South African football games in 2002. Additionally, the Nazareth Baptist Church claimed the vuvuzela belonged to their church.
International tournaments
FIFA, the group that runs international football, suggested banning vuvuzelas from stadiums. This was because some people thought the loud noise from vuvuzelas could be used by fans to cause trouble or for sneaky marketing. A writer named Jon Qwelane called the device "an instrument from hell." South African football leaders said the vuvuzela was important to the way football was played in South Africa. A Spanish player, Xabi Alonso, said, "Those trumpets? That noise I don't like… FIFA must ban those things… it is not nice to have a noise like that." A Dutch coach, Bert van Marwijk, said, "… it was annoying… in the stadiums you get used to it but it is still unpleasant."
A commentator named Farayi Mungazi said banning vuvuzelas would take away what makes a South African World Cup special. FIFA's leader, Sepp Blatter, said, "we should not try to Europeanise an African World Cup… that is what African and South Africa football is all about – noise, excitement, dancing, shouting and enjoyment." Even though some people criticized the vuvuzela, FIFA allowed it to be used in stadiums during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. South African football leaders said during the 2010 World Cup, vuvuzelas became very popular, but people watching on TV had trouble hearing the game because of the noise.
Hyundai built the world's largest working vuvuzela as part of a marketing campaign for the World Cup. The 35-meter (115-foot) blue vuvuzela was placed on a bridge in Cape Town and was meant to be used at the start of each match. However, it did not make any sound during the World Cup because city officials were worried about how loud it would be.
Because vuvuzelas were so common, many people suggested ways to limit their use, such as making them quieter or banning them completely. Broadcasting groups had problems showing matches because the vuvuzela noise often drowned out the game. Networks like BBC, RTÉ, ESPN, and BSkyB studied ways to filter out the noise while still letting people hear the commentary.
Vuvuzelas caused health and safety concerns. Players said the constant noise made it hard to rest and hurt their performance. Others said the noise made it hard for teams to communicate and stay focused. Many people needed earplugs to protect their hearing, but stores ran out of stock. One company that made vuvuzelas even started selling its own earplugs.
A method called notch filtering was suggested to reduce vuvuzela noise in broadcasts and improve the clarity of commentary. Vuvuzelas make sounds around 235 Hz and 465 Hz. However, this method can make commentary less clear. Some universities and research groups proposed better filters that keep commentary and crowd noise clear. These filters have been used by some cable TV providers.
Vuvuzelas returned during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, mostly used by Iranian fans. Like in 2010, there was criticism about their use.
Health effects and regulation
A study in 2010 by Ruth McNerney of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and others found that vuvuzelas can spread diseases through the air. The researchers measured tiny droplets from a vuvuzela that can carry germs from the flu or cold. These droplets are small enough to stay in the air for hours and can enter a person’s lungs. The study said that vuvuzelas can spread germs to more people than coughing or shouting.
Vuvuzelas can also cause hearing loss. A study by Prof James Hall III, Dirk Koekemoer, De Wet Swanepoel, and others at the University of Pretoria showed that the loud sound from vuvuzelas can harm the eardrums. The instrument produces sound at 113 dB(A) at two meters (7 feet) away. Experts say people should not listen to sounds above 100 dB(A) for more than 15 minutes a day. If many vuvuzelas are used at once, like during a sports match, the loud noise could harm spectators’ hearing. Experts from the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) say people should not listen to 113 dB(A) for more than 45 seconds a day. A newer model of the vuvuzela has a mouthpiece that lowers the sound by 20 dB.
Vuvuzelas have been banned in many places. These include:
– NCAA (after a 1987 ice hockey game)
– Wembley Stadium (as part of a noisemaker ban)
– 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups
– All sporting events at Cardiff City, Sophia Gardens, and Millennium Stadiums
– Wimbledon
– Lord’s Cricket Ground
– Melbourne Cricket Ground
– The WACA Ground in Perth
– The Gabba Cricket Ground in Brisbane
– The Sydney Cricket Ground
– Eden Park (and the 2011 Rugby World Cup)
– Lancaster Park
– Wellington Stadium
– Ligue 1 (all clubs)
– The now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament
– Yankee Stadium
– Fuji Rock Festival
– The Southeastern Conference of US college sports
– Ultimate Fighting Championship events
– Gaelic Athletic Association events
– Little League World Series
– Providence Park
– UEFA (including Champions League, Europa League, and European Championship matches)
– Rugby World Cup (starting in 2011)
– Kontinental Hockey League
– 2010 FIBA World Championship and later basketball tournaments
– National Football League (as part of a noisemaker ban)
– The Evolution Championship Series for fighting games
– Vermont Principals’ Association high school sports
– ÖFB Bundesliga
– Bundesliga (some teams, including Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund)
Some shopping centers in South Africa banned vuvuzelas. They were also banned at the 2010 Baltimore anime convention Otakon. The organizers said any attendee with a vuvuzela could have it taken away, and anyone using it could be kicked out of the event.
This action followed concerns about vuvuzelas at the 2010 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, where some attendees felt the noise was uncomfortable.
Nine English Premier League clubs banned vuvuzelas. Five clubs (Arsenal, Birmingham City, Everton, Fulham, and Liverpool) did so for health and safety reasons. Three clubs (Sunderland, West Ham United, and West Bromwich Albion) banned them because they do not allow musical instruments. Manchester United banned vuvuzelas at Old Trafford on August 13, 2010. However, Manchester City and Stoke City allowed them.
The organizers of the 2012 Olympic Games banned vuvuzelas at the event.
Usage in protests
On July 13, 2010, protesters using vuvuzelas gathered at BP’s London headquarters to protest the company’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Vuvuzelas were used during the 2011 Wisconsin protests supporting unions against Governor Scott Walker. A Madison DJ named Nick Nice bought 200 vuvuzelas and gave them to other protesters. This action led to vuvuzelas being added to the list of banned items at the state’s capitol. The list does not specifically name vuvuzelas but includes "Musical Instrument/noise makers."
In March 2012, German protesters used vuvuzelas during the traditional torchlight ceremony, the Großer Zapfenstreich, which honored President of Germany Christian Wulff. Wulff had resigned earlier due to corruption accusations, but he still received the military ceremony, which caused some people in Germany to disagree.
Usage in music and media
The vuvuzela is not often used in art music. One of the few pieces written for it is a Baroque-style double concerto in C major for vuvuzela, organ (or harpsichord), and string orchestra. This piece was composed by Timo Kiiskinen, a professor of Church Music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. The organ version of the concerto was first performed on October 21, 2010, at the Organ Hall of the Sibelius Academy. The harpsichord version was first performed on December 19, 2010, at Pro Puu Gallery in Lahti.
The vuvuzela can be used as a toy instrument and for teaching music to young children. Because of noise rules in schools, it is often played only at home.
John-Luke Mark Matthews wrote a concerto in B-flat major for vuvuzela and orchestra. The sheet music and parts for this piece are available on the IMSLP public-domain score library.
In the Nintendo DS version of the music video game Michael Jackson: The Experience, Ubisoft added an anti-piracy feature. If a player uses a pirated or ROM copy of the game, the game will stop and play vuvuzela sounds instead of the original music.