Sunday, June 20, 2010

In Defence of the Vuvuzela

This year's World Cup seems to be bringing a record number of headaches to spectators.

The Vuvuzela, a traditional South African horn, has been wreaking havoc with the broadcasting of the soccer World Cup. Broadcasters like BBC and other national stations have been inundated with complaints about the constant droning of the horns. While I am not personally a fan of the sport, many of my friends have brought up the issue, with some being unable to watch a match in its entirety due to the noise.

For myself, I find the sport of soccer monotonous enough and as such avoid watching it whenever the choice is my own. This of course puts me on the outside of conversations and discussions quite frequently as the sport is obviously hugely popular. Yet for me that is not such a major issue as popularity is not a convincing indicator of quality. Indeed, there are countless examples of where the exact opposite is true.

I do not care how people feel about my indifference to soccer and the fans in South Africa do not care how the rest of the world feels about their Vuvuzelas. It is their own instrument, their own method of celebration. The South African supporters have stamped their own identity on the World Cup and this legacy will not be broken for the people that cannot understand the underlying basis for the Vuvuzela.

If people find the unique horn so offensive they should just go ahead and force the sport further towards homogeneity.

-The English Student

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