The Vuvuzela: Love it or hate it?

The plastic noise-maker was everywhere including the airport. They were blown loud and often as tourists arrived. They are a very South African way of paying homage to the the World Cup. If blown correctly, it makes a loud, and inspiring, cacophony (sounds like swarming bees). Sound builds momentum throughout the match especially during the lulls. For South Africa WC 2010, vuvuzelas are to soccer as asado are to Argentinos. Can't have one without the other.

So prominent it sparked a debate as to whether the vuvuzela added or took away from the World Cup experience. I was interviewed on a London radio program that was searching high and low for WC fans that found them annoying and were con. But I did not see it that way and defended the instrument. Its sound might be loud, but it is the pure expression of soccer passion, passed directly from the lungs of enthusiastic South Africans as they celebrate the glory of hosting the first World Cup on the African continent and rallies crowds for 90 plus minutes. Amazing!

The sound will define the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Home cooking is what you get as hosts...If you want silence buy ear plus they are only 5 rand. For better and worse, the vuvuzela is the sound of South Africa!

Requests to bring them home were overwhelming. Parker yours is a limited edition multi flag version. Sorry Alison.