World Cup Fever is gripping us all… it seems everyone is transfixed by the excitement in South Africa. Yet as millions of people watch the thrilling games unfold, the following question arises:
What’s that noise?
The die-hard fans in our Cape Town office have long embraced it: the sound of the vuvuzela, that ubiquitous horn filling South Africa’s stadiums with its signature drone. Said to be descended from the kudu horn—a device that was used to summon African villagers to gatherings—the original tin vuvuzela gained particular prominence at soccer games in the 1990s. Banned as a danger, it was replaced by a new plastic version that has been popular ever since.
And what does vuvuzela mean? No one has a clear answer – one popular theory is that it evolved from the Zulu word for “making noise.” Which it most certainly does: in fact, the blare from a vuvuzela has been measured at up to 130 decibels (louder than a chainsaw).
Of course, you can experience the thrills of South Africa without the need for earplugs. May we suggest our South African Sweeping Sojourn? From canyons to coastlines, whales to wildebeests, urban sophistication to untamed wilderness, you’ll experience the best of this remarkable land on this unique and active safari.
For now, we hope you are enjoying the World Cup as much as we are.
tainted air, soil and water supplies. These can be but are not limited to metals, bacteria,