Vuvezelas, Violence and Victory
Vuvuzelas – who had heard of them outside of South Africa before the world cup but who has not heard about them now? Interestingly, the note they play is B flat – how appropriate for the England squad with their dismal performance out in the tournament. The only saving grace is that they did not completely humiliate their country like the tempremental and opinionated French team. I looked at the background of the instrument – it is traditionally made and inspired from a kudu horn and was used to summon distant villagers to attend community gatherings. It is also apparently regarded as an instrument of torture in over 15 European and Southeast Asian countries. Personally, I think some enterprising South Africans have been very clever by making a fortune selling Vuvuzelas and another fortune by selling earplugs to drown them out.
Whichever national team wins, the real beneficiary of the world cup so far has been South Africa itself. Cast your mind back before it started when there were dire warnings of violence in the country and how this would affect the tourists. From the news reports and personal feedback from my sister in law and her husband who have been there from the start, this was not their experience at all if sensible travel precautions were taken. There were some instances of pickpockets but no more than they have experienced at any other international games. The sheer joie de vivre shown by native South Africans has been a
Victory in sport should not just be about winning joy to watch. but about the attitude and conduct of the players concerned. Sadly, the greater the riches of the sport, the less gracious players seem to be. At least Andy Murray did follow tradition and bow to the Queen at Wimbledon. Good luck to him – anybody who survived the horror of the Dunblane school killings deserves all the luck they can get.
Very best wishes to you all for a lovely summer ahead whether you are travelling far afield or staying at home in this glorious weather.
Awen. |
