...Practically speaking, however, the vuvuzela really belongs to the people
of South Africa, and now the world... Perhaps the reason for its success is that, in many senses, the vuvuzela
is a lot like South Africa.
The vuvuzela gets noticed. It draws attention to itself. It has
touched the inter- national imagination. Just like South Africa. This is
in part a result of apartheid, which captured the global consciousness
for decades. But the focus on South Africa is also a result of the fact
that South Africans, seemingly, like to voice their concerns. Whether
talking about the demise of apartheid, the Rainbow Nation, crime,
HIV/Aids or the state of the economy, we like the world to know what is
going on. This is partly about being located at the southern tip of
Africa, which results in a need to feel connected globally.
But it is also likely that the desire to externalise issues is deeply
cultural. It is, I believe, how we, as South Africans, solve problems.
This tendency has helped South Africa to deal with many historical
challenges. But it has also meant that we, as South Africans, can be as
much to blame for the negative coverage of our country as the
international media.
We have all met the South Africans abroad who are only too willing to
enlighten people about what a terrible country it now is (often with a
racial subtext implying ‘now that apartheid has ended’), leaving
listeners determined never to go there.
So, while verbalising our problems helped us in the past, the
question is: How can we talk about real problems like wealth disparity
and the relative crime problem while communicating all that is positive
about South Africa at the same time? This may seem like a complex
challenge, but, if a simple plastic trumpet can signal joy,
exhilaration, celebration, exuberance, unity, disappointment, dismay,
and alarm, then, surely, so can we.
Brandon Hamber is a South African living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He
is the Research Co-ordinator of INCORE, a United Nations Research
Centre for the Study of Conflict at the University of Ulster and a
Senior Lecturer at the University.
http://www.polity.org.za/article/is-south-africa-just-one-big-vuvuzela-2010-08-20