Thevuvuzela/vuːvuːˈzɛlə/ⓘ is ahorn with an inexpensiveinjection-moulded plastic shell about 65 centimetres (2 ft) long, which produces a loud monotone note typically aroundB♭3[2] (the first B♭ belowmiddle C).[3] Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and this design also allows pitch variation. Many types of vuvuzela, made by several manufacturers, may produce various intensity and frequency outputs.[4] The intensity of these outputs depends on the blowing technique and pressure exerted.[4] The indoor noise level caused theU.S. NCAA to permanently ban them after the 7 February 1987 Division I Men's Ice Hockey game between theBrown Bears and theRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers. The noise was so extreme that Brown formally complained and "The RPI Rule" was universally adopted.[5][6][7][8]
The vuvuzela is commonly used atfootball matches inSouth Africa,[9] and it has become a symbol of South African football as the stadiums are filled with its sound.[10] The intensity of the sound caught the attention of the global football community during the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in anticipation of South Africa hosting the2010 FIFA World Cup.[10]
The vuvuzela has been the subject of controversy when used by spectators at football matches. Its high volume can lead to permanenthearing loss for unprotected ears after close-range exposure,[11] with asound level of 120 dB(A) (the threshold of pain) at one metre (3.3 ft) from the device opening.[10]
"The Dinner Horn" ("Blowing the Horn at Seaside"), byWinslow Homer, 1870
Plasticaerophones, likecorneta and similar devices, have been used inBrazil and other Latin American countries since the 1960s, also similar "StadiumHorns" have been marketed and available in theUnited States since that same date.[12]
Similar horns have been in existence for much longer. An instrument that looks like a vuvuzela appears inWinslow Homer's 1870 painting "The Dinner Horn".[13]
The origin of the device is disputed. The termvuvuzela was first used in South Africa from theZulu language or from aNguni language. It is also known in theSepedi language as Lepatata; aBokoni dialect word meaning to make ablowing sound (directly translated: ukuvuvuzela).[citation needed]
Controversies over the invention arose in early 2010. South AfricanKaizer Chiefs fan Freddie "Saddam" Maake claimed the invention of the vuvuzela by fabricating analuminium version in 1965 from abicycle horn and has photographic evidence of himself holding the aluminium vuvuzela in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.[14] He also claimed to have coinedvuvuzela from theZulu language for "welcome", "unite" and "celebration".[15] Plastics factory Masincedane Sport popularised the ubiquitous plastic vuvuzela commonly heard at South African football games in 2002;[16] and theNazareth Baptist Church claimed the vuvuzela belonged to their church.[17]
The world association football governing body,FIFA, proposed banning vuvuzelas from stadiums, as they were seen as potential weapons forhooligans and could be used inambush marketing.[citation needed] ColumnistJon Qwelane described the device as "an instrument from hell".[18] South African football authorities argued that the vuvuzela was part of the South African football experience.[19] The Spanish midfielderXabi 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".[20] Dutch coachBert van Marwijk remarked, "... it was annoying ... in the stadiums you get used to it but it is still unpleasant".[21]
Commentator Farayi Mungazi said, "Banning the vuvuzela would take away the distinctiveness of a South African World Cup ... absolutely essential for an authentic South African footballing experience".[22] FIFA PresidentSepp Blatter responded, "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".[22][21] Despite the criticisms, FIFA agreed to permit their use in stadiums during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup.[23] The South African football authority argued that during FIFA World Cup 2010, vuvuzelas achieved great popularity, though TV spectators suffered a lot due to vuvuzela noise pollution.[21]
Hyundai constructed the world's largest working vuvuzela as part of a marketing campaign for the World Cup. The 35-metre (115 ft) blue vuvuzela mounted on theForeshore Freeway Bridge,Cape Town, was intended to be used at the beginning of each match; however, it did not sound a note during the World Cup, as its volume was a cause of concern to city authorities.[24]
Its ubiquity led to many suggestions for limiting its use, muffling its sound, and even an outright ban.[25][26]
Broadcasting organisations experienced difficulties with their presentations. Television and radio audiences often heard only the sound of vuvuzelas.[27][28][29][30] TheBBC,RTÉ,ESPN andBSkyB have examined the possibility of filtering the ambient noise while maintaining game commentary.[27][28]
The vuvuzelas raised health and safety concerns. Competitors believed the incessant noise hampered the ability of the players to get their rest, and degraded the quality of team performance.[31][32] Other critics remarked that vuvuzelas disrupted team communication and players' concentration during matches.[33][34] Demand for earplugs to protect from hearing loss during the World Cup outstripped supply, with many pharmacies out of stock.[35] One major vuvuzela manufacturer even began selling its own earplugs to spectators.[36]
Notch filtering, an audio filtration technique, is proposed to reduce the vuvuzela sound in broadcasts and increase clarity of commentary audio. The vuvuzela produces notes at a frequency of approximately 235 Hz and itsfirst partial at 465 Hz.[37] However, this filtration technique affects the clarity of commentary audio. Proposals ofadaptive filters by universities and research organisations address this issue by preserving the amplitude and clarity of the commentators' voices and crowd noise.[38][39][40] Such filtration techniques have been adopted by some cable television providers.[41]
Vuvuzelas made a comeback at the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, used mainly by Iranian supporters.[42] Much like in 2010, there was a backlash against their use.[43][44]
A study conducted in 2010 by Ruth McNerney of theLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and colleagues, concluded that theairborne transmission of diseases by means of vuvuzelas was possible.[45][46] They measured tiny droplets emitted from a vuvuzela that can carryflu andcold germs that are small enough to stay suspended in the air for hours, and can enter into the airways of a person's lungs.[47] The study concluded that vuvuzelas can infect others on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.[47]
The vuvuzelas have the potential to causenoise-induced hearing loss.[4][10][11][45] Prof James Hall III, Dirk Koekemoer,De Wet Swanepoel and colleagues at theUniversity of Pretoria found that vuvuzelas can have a negative effect when a listener's eardrums are exposed to the instrument's high-intensity sound. The vuvuzelas produce an average sound pressure of 113 dB(A) at two metres (7 ft) from the device opening.[10] The study finds that subjects should not be exposed to more than 15 minutes per day at an intensity of 100 dB(A).[10] The study assumes that if a single vuvuzela emits a sound that is dangerously loud to subjects within a two-metre (7 ft) radius, and numerous vuvuzelas are typically blown together for the duration of a match, it may put spectators at a significant risk of hearing loss.[10] Hearing loss experts at the U.S.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommend that exposure at the 113 dB(A) level not exceed 45 seconds per day.[48] A newer model has a modified mouthpiece that reduces the volume by 20 dB.[49]
NCAA, subsequent to The Big Red Freakout! Division I Men's Ice Hockey game of 7 February 1987 between Brown University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, hence known as "The RPI Rule."[5][6][7][8]
Some shopping centres in South Africa banned the use of vuvuzelas.[73][74][75] They were also banned at the 2010Baltimoreanime conventionOtakon.[76] The convention committee declared that any attendee carrying a vuvuzela could have it confiscated from them, and that anyone blowing one could face expulsion from the event.[76][77]
Another such action was taken in response to the prevalence of the vuvuzelas at the 2010Anime Expo based in Los Angeles, attended by representatives of Otakon who felt the disruption led to discomfort for some of the attendees of Anime Expo which they wished to avoid at the later Baltimore event.[77]
On 13 July 2010, protesters with vuvuzelas converged onBP's London headquarters to protest the company's handling of theDeepwater Horizon oil spill.[80]
Vuvuzelas were widely used during the2011 Wisconsin pro-union protests against governorScott Walker, after a Madison DJ, Nick Nice, ordered 200 of them and distributed them to his fellow protesters.[81] According to Nice, this caused vuvuzelas to be included in the list of items banned at the state's capitol.[81] The list does not specifically mention vuvuzelas, but does include "Musical Instrument/noise makers".[82]
In March 2012, German protesters used vuvuzelas during the official traditional torchlight ceremony, theGroßer Zapfenstreich, which bid farewell toPresident of GermanyChristian Wulff. Wulff had resigned earlier over corruption allegations, yet he still received the honour of the military ceremony, which left Germany divided.[83]
Usage of vuvuzela in art music is limited. One of the few compositions made for it is a baroque-styledouble concerto in C major for vuvuzela,organ (orharpsichord) and string orchestra, written byTimo Kiiskinen, Professor of Church Music at theSibelius Academy, Helsinki; an organ version of this concerto was premiered, on 21 October 2010, at the Organ Hall of Sibelius Academy, and aharpsichord version, and on 19 December 2010, at Pro Puu gallery inLahti.[84][85]
John-Luke Mark Matthews has written a concerto in B-flat major for vuvuzela and orchestra. The score and parts for this are available on theIMSLP public-domain score library.[86][better source needed]
In theNintendo DS version of the music video gameMichael Jackson: The Experience, there is ananti-piracy feature created byUbisoft that will freeze the game and replace the audio with the sound of vuvuzelas if the player is playing a pirated orROM version of the game.[87]
^abSwanepoel, D Wet; Hall III, James W (April 2010). "Football match spectator sound exposure and effect on hearing: A pretest-post-test study".South African Medical Journal.100 (4). Cape Town, South Africa:239–42.doi:10.7196/samj.4091 (inactive 12 July 2025).hdl:2263/14150.PMID20459971.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
^Ken Burns (27 September 1994). "8th Inning – A Whole New Ballgame".Baseball. Season 1. 82 minutes in. PBS.at 1:22:12, crowd shot ofFenway Park. In the upper left corner of the frame, two mass-produced type plastic Stadium Horns/Vuvuzelas are clearly visible.
^"Ronaldo hits out at vuvuzelas". Radio Nederland Wereldomroep. Netherlands National News, Agence France-Presse. Archived fromthe original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved13 June 2010.
^"Prosoniq VuvuX". Prosoniq Products Software GmbH. Retrieved21 June 2010.
^Bargmann, Jeff; University of London, Queen Mary."The Devuvuzelator". Stardock Corporation. Archived fromthe original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved21 June 2010.
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