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by Jean Dugas
Finally, I will also
remember
how
South
Africans
responded
with
pride and great
success
to
the
challenge of hosting
the World Cup. Under heavy scrutiny
for years until the opening kick-off,
they proved to the world that they
could host an important international
event. Even if there was a few bumps
in the road, they adjusted, they
succeeded. It was, by far, my best
Word Cup experience.
A lot was said in the media about the
infamous vuvuzelas: their noise and
how it was a cultural thing for South
Africans. That might be so, but the
plastic vuvuzelas that flooded the
stadium are a far cry from the
ancestral kind of old Africa. I got the
chance to see a real one played by
a youngster at a cultural celebration
in a township. The commercial plastic
vuvuzelas are basically just a cheap
replica. The real ones are hand-carved with precision in some kind of wooden material and in a spiral
manner (see picture below). They are not straight like the vuvuzelas we saw everywhere.
In South Africa... the vuvuzela sound was like no other. Back home in Canada, people were frustrated by the
constant buzz, comparable to bees, that could be heard. Well, I think it was a broadcasting ripple effect
because in South Africa, even though the same constant sound was present, I didn’t feel annoyed by «bees
». Yes there was a hum, but there
was also some melody to it.
People from one part of the
stadium were answering to their
counterparts on the other side of
the field and so on. Alright, I must
admit that the noise was some-
times deafening. Ear plugs?
That’s for wimps! The vuvuzela
was part of the experience!
Those Bafana Bafana games
(and even the ones of other
African nations!) were probably
the loudest games - all sports
combined - that I’ve attended.
Doesn’t help either when you are
sitting right beside a section of
vuvu’s in the stadium... However,
let it be known that one vuvuzela
is annoying. Thousands sound
great.
Page 29
Jean Dugas
reporting the moment
SSRmagazine.com