I had to laugh at Newsbiscuit‘s report that eBay crashed because 250million people posted their vuvuzelas for sale after the end of the World Cup. I so wish that was a true story. To celebrate the end of the tournament – yes, I know I’m late but England went out weeks ago so I’m lucky to have noticed at all – I bring you some interesting facts about the vuvuzela. Okay, I confess: I haven’t got anything to blog about today.
- The Tswana name for it is lepatata
- According to the man claiming to be its inventor, Freddie Maake, it has its origins in a bike: My brother bought me a bicycle to ride to school on. It had a big aluminium hooter with a rubber bulb on the end – I realised if I took off the ball and blew into the horn, it made a more exciting noise. I used to take it along to local football matches played on gravel or in the street and play it to encourage my team. (The Guardian)
- The Nazareth Baptist Church of Kwa-Zulu Natal claims that Isaiah Shembe, its founder, invented it. So that’s two people on the hit list of billions of footballer-lovers around the world
- It has been banned in Pamplona because it is considered dangerous – not bad for a town famous for inviting crazies to be trampled by enraged bulls (of course they’re enraged; I would be too if someone scooped me from my comfortable field and made me run through the town with a thousand other fatties)
- Its sound has become the most downloaded free iPhone app in South Africa and Europe
- A mad musician (who at least had the good sense to remain anonymous) has written a Concerto in Bflat for the vuvuzela; I tried to find it on You Tube but Google had a fit each time and refused to let me hear it
- Demand for earplugs rose to unprecedented levels in July in South Africa. One canny vuvuzela supplier began selling them to spectators alongside the horns
- Many of the World Cup players complained the noise affected their game. I bet the England team were first in that queue
- It has its own radio station: http://www.vuvuzela.fm/
The Laughing Housewife 
I can’t see that concerto topping the charts: the aforesaid instrument only having one note, fortunately the tonic of the key of B flat, it’s worse the Poor Johnny One-Note, which in fact has quite a tune!
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