One hundred days ago I was the only sane person in Sandton among hundreds of singing and dancing people in funny costumes; Johannesburg was the centre of global media attention; and Spain beat the Netherlands in what would be one of the most boring finals ever.
One hundred days ago, the World Cup in South Africa came to an end.
During the tournament, South Africa was a different place - a place where the streets were clean; where roads were not blocked up; where walking around at night was safe; where everyone was part of one big happy family.
Since then, things have changed a bit…
As construction works resume, traffic jams are back; streets are once again empty after dark; buildings are not covered by flags anymore and radio stations no longer play “Waka Waka” and “Fly Your Flag” in infinite loops.
But there is one thing that continues to remind us of the beautiful time on a daily basis: The Vuvuzelas that are scattered around our homes. One hundred days ago they were a crucial accessory, now they are slowly catching dust in our homes...
People may not like them, but the Vuvuzela was definitely the symbol of the World Cup in South Africa. The Vuvuzela even made it into the newest addition of the Oxford dictionary, where it is defined as “a long plastic instrument in the shape of a trumpet, that makes a very loud noise when you blow it and is popular with football fans in South Africa” (even though this may not be such an achievement given that words such as “bromance”, “wardrobe malfunction”, and “frenemy” have also been included). Despite many warnings about the severe health impact of Vuvuzelas, millions of Kudu horns were sold during the tournament and thousands of tourists took them home as a souvenir.
Now that the World Cup is over, they are sadly (or fortunately) not really being used anymore. But as people are too nostalgic to throw them away, alternative uses for Vuvuzelas are needed! Over the one hundred days I have been collecting ideas. Here’s some inspiration:
And if all this talk about Vuvuzelas made you realise that they are actually a beautiful instrument and a piece of culture worth preserving, then you might want to buy the following CD... and some ear plugs for your neighbour!
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