A vuvuzela (English pronunciation: /vuːvuːˈzeɪlə/) , sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Setswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. The instrument requires some lip and lung strength to blow and emits a loud monotone (B♭). A similar instrument (known as corneta in Brazil and other Latin American countries) is used by football fans in South America. Vuvuzelas have been controversial. They have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss, cited as a possible safety risk when spectators cannot hear evacuation announcements, and potentially spread colds and flu viruses on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.[6][7] Commentators have described the sound as "annoying" and compared it with "a stampede of noisy elephants, a deafening swarm of locusts, a goat on the way to slaughter" and "a giant hive full of very angry bees."
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