What is Vuvuzela?

FIFA world cup is going on in South Africa. Results are so far exciting, unexpected and sad for some teams and fans. Whoever wins the game, will grab the Trophy. In the mean time everyone is hearing something like a noise/music from bee or fly. Some people might be enjoying it but seems like many are angry about it and they don't like it.This sound is coming from vuvuzela.

One of my facebook friends declared today that he will not be watching football games onwards because of this vuvuzela.

Vevuzela is is a blowing horn up to approximately 1 m in length. The instrument requires some lip and lung strength to blow and emits (from the standard shorter horn of 60-65 cm) a loud monotone.This type of plastic horn or trumpet has been used in Mexican stadiums since the 1970s. Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s. Vuvuzelas have been said to be based on kudu horn instruments and thus rooted in African history, but this is disputed. During the entire match, supporters blow vuvuzelas frantically in an attempt to "kill off" their opponents.

This instrument has been a controversial in FIFA world cup 2010. Game commentators have complained that the noise makes it difficult to hear much of anything at the stadium. In emergency situation people will not be able to listen important admonitions. It is also really annoying while watching the game on TV. Apart from this, they have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss.

Fans of football match are trying to ban this instrument. FIFA is getting thousands of complaints to ban it. But it has denied for the ban. Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, responded to the speculation on Twitter.

“I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound,” Blatter wrote, adding in a follow-up: “Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?”

By Monday morning, more than 74,0000 had joined a call to ban the instrument, at the newly-registered banvuvuzela.com. The term “vuvuzela” has become one of the top trending items on Twitter.

There are supporters of vuvuzela too. Specially people from Africa who are very attached to the vuvuzelas.