Vuvuzela Democracy

[Marja]

Hi Arnold,

I really like your column Vuvuzela Democracy. You shouldn’t have to wear earplugs to watch a game. The Vuvuzela din obstructs fans in the stadium to support their own teams and players can’t hear each other, the coach or the referee. Although Robin van Persie made good use of it in the Holland-Denmark game. Oh my God, I just heard my neighbour create a sound from a vuvuzela. He’s not African, he’s Dutch! FIFA president Sepp Blatter has defended South African fans’ right to blow their vuvuzela horns. ‘I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound,’ he said. But 60,000 buzzing bees in my tv have nothing to do with African music or dance. Blatter’s moralistic utterance is political correctness at its worst. Africa deserves better.

[Peter]

Interesting post Marja & I also like Arnold’s column. I just wonder why the vuvuzela sound has any influence on the quality of the games. Isn’t the number of disappointing draws rather surprising at this stage of the tournament?

Maybe lift this gloom and ban the vuvuzela? Sorry I am sure one or two can cheer up a lively party under the right circumstances but a whole stadium full of vuvuzelas is just too much.

Now this is enough about football and ear pollution, I am off to read a book.

[Marja]

Hi Peter,

This morning BBC Breakfast reported that football is going to make its mark on the repertoire of The Royal Opera House. “Opera Shots”, a triple bill of short, modern operas from three composers experimenting with the genre for the first time, is due to be performed this week.

The Daily Telegraph reported that officials at the Royal Opera House hope the contemporary themes in the new works, which will be 30 minutes long and sung in English, will “shake things up” and make the traditionally elitist world of opera more accessible.

Ingerland, by Jocelyn Pook, a theatre and film composer, will explore themes of what it means to be a football fan.

The opera will feature football chants from several clubs, including Liverpool’s “Steve Gerrard, Gerrard/He’ll pass the ball 40 yards/He’s big and he’s f****** hard/Steve Gerrard, Gerrard” and Milwall’s “No-one likes us/No-one likes us/No-one likes, we don’t care/We are Milwall, super Milwall/ We are Milwall from the Den”.

The piece will also include the storylines of WAGs – footballers’ wives and girlfriends - with a penchant for cosmetic surgery, who worry about their weight and their partners’ infidelity.

As long as the fans don’t bring their vuvuzelas.

[Peter]

Marja, it is great hear that football inspires opera but I fully agree vuvuzelas are not welcome. Especially not after my early morning walk was disturbed by a vuvuzela. I can report that it is not only very loud, it also sounds off key.

Vuvuzelas belong to a lowest common denominator society. Let’s aim to keep them away from the London Olympic Games.