Vuvuzelas originate in the United States

By Editor | June 24th, 2009

You’re either a fan of vuvuzelas, the plastic horns that sounds like bees during Confederations Cup games, or you’re not. (Here’s a qualified defense) Players have complained about the monotonous drone of the vuvuzelas. South Africa has made the horns a part of its 2010 marketing campaign and even invented a history for the cheap horns. The horns can apparently be traced back to the kudu horn “… blown to summon African villagers to meetings.”

This is all nonsense.


As South African-based blogger, Blatant, writes, the truth is that vuvuzelas are a very recent addition to that country’s football culture. They’ve only been ubiquitous for about ten years–not thousands of years as the PR suggests–when a young businessman started manufacturing them on a mass base at the same time as the country’s largest beer company promoted them to their customers as part of ad campaigns linked to football and beer drinking.

Blatant, quoting the manufacturers, points out that Vuvuzelas really originates in the United States:

The first prototype was from America and changed somewhat for more comfortable blowing and effectiveness. We have researched the history of the Vuvuzela, and follows a trail back to a women’s Chinese basketball team.

In the end, however, it won’t matter what we think about Vuvuzelas since the big European TV broadcasters will ultimately decide whether they’ll be allowed into stadiums during the 2010 World Cup:

“At the end the day, it is the big TV money that talks. If the world’s broadcasters feel the cacophony of vuvuzelas detracts from the viewing pleasure of their public, FIFA will be forced to back down and ban the trumpets from the 2010 World Cup stadiums.”