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For perhaps the majority of viewers watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa the ubiquitous buzzing horn heard around the stadiums is more of an annoyance than an atmosphere enhancer. The horns are called vuvuzelas and they have become part of African football culture and are soon no doubt to become part of world football or soccer culture.

The vuvuzela has its origins in the kuduzela horn. The kuduzela horn is made from the horn of the kudu, an animal like an antelope with a long curling horn. The kudu’s horn is hollowed out to make an instrument that you blow through. The kuduzela horn makes a loud and deep resonant noise that is used in Africa to call people to a meeting.

Freddie ‘Saddam’ Maake was no doubt influenced by the plastic horns called corneta used by football fans in Latin America to cheer their teams. He took the idea of the corneta and combined it was the kuduzela horn and made the first African football horn called a vuvuzela out of tin. He took it to many stadiums to support his local team, the Kaiser Chiefs F.C and his national team, South Africa. He slowly popularized the horn until in 2001 the vuvuzela went into mass production as a cheap plastic horn. The vuvuzela is sometimes called a ‘lepatata’ or stadium horn. By the time of the Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009 the vuvuzela had become very popular with African soccer fans. African supporters have always enjoyed making music at games but suddenly the vuvuzela became a new craze. The idea changed from making music with drums and percussion instruments to making a very loud monotone noise with a cheap vuvuzela. Supporters in Africa believe that if they can make a louder noise than the opposing fans then they will give their fans an added advantage on the field.

From the very first game in the 2010 World Cup Finals it became clear that the cheap vuvuzela was now the dominant noise at games and by far the most popular way to show support for a team.

What is the attraction? First it is easy to buy a cheap vuvuzela. Second it is easy to play a vuvuzela. You simply blow through compressed lips like playing a trumpet. It requires no musical training to play a vuvuzela. Thirdly, the vuvuzela has already become a potent symbol for the African game. Africa wants to assert its identity not only as a footballing continent but also a continent that values music made by the people. It might not be ‘music’ to most people but it is a noise from the people; and this noise has a long tribal history connected to the importance of using animal parts to contact tribal members at a great distance.