The loud, crowded environment of football matches offered a sanctuary for anti-apartheid activists. While the government banned political gatherings, the chaos of the games allowed activists to meet, converse, and organize, undermining the state's surveillance and censorship efforts.
Masin Kedani Sports used strategic marketing, including free giveaways and diplomatic gifting, to position their vuvuzela as the "original sound of South Africa." This manufactured authenticity, tying the product to the nation's identity ahead of its World Cup bid.
When faced with international backlash, FIFA President Sepp Blatter defended the vuvuzela by broadly labeling it "African culture." This tactic leveraged a simplified, monolithic view of the continent to legitimize the instrument and silence Eurocentric complaints during Africa's first World Cup.
Comedian Trevor Noah's critique of tourists improperly blowing the vuvuzela highlights a key cultural tension. The issue was not the instrument itself, but its use by outsiders without "etiquette." This shows participation in a cultural practice can be deemed appropriation when it lacks respect for its context.
The vuvuzela's global fame sparked multiple conflicting ownership claims, from an individual's modified bicycle horn to a church's sacred instrument. This illustrates that establishing a persuasive origin story is crucial for claiming cultural heritage, especially when financial stakes are high.
By branding the 2010 event as "Africa's World Cup," organizers wrapped the vuvuzela in a broad, pan-continental identity. This "Disneyfication" made the instrument feel cheap and sparked resentment from other Africans who felt their own diverse cultures were being ignored for a monolithic narrative.
Items from the daily lives of black working-class South Africans, like miners' helmets (Makarapas) and shift-change sirens, were brought into stadiums and transformed into iconic fan gear. This demonstrates how authentic fan culture can organically arise from repurposing everyday objects connected to a community's labor identity.