Its name in Zulu roughly translates to ``making a lot of noise'' - and it sure does.
Nothing represents the sheer exuberance of South African soccer fans better than the ``vuvuzela,'' the trombone-length plastic horn that will be heard in force starting Friday at the World Cup.
Some say the vuvuzela - pronounced voo-voo-ZAY-lah - makes a beautiful, boisterous noise. Others call it an annoying racket.
When thousands of the horns are blown in a stadium, they create a buzzing din, described as similar to the wail of foghorns, the trumpeting of a herd of elephants, or perhaps the traffic jam from hell.
One thing's for sure: By the end of the World Cup tournament, just about everyone on Earth will have had a chance to hear them.
Vuvuzelas are sold everywhere in South Africa these days. They have moved from corner shops in poor townships to glittering shopping malls in plush suburbs.
When U.S. team members checked into their rooms at the luxurious Irene Country Lodge near Pretoria, a gift vuvuzela awaited each of them.
South Africa President Jacob Zuma even gave a blast on a vuvuzela at a prayer meeting for a successful tournament.
``It's the culture of the country,'' South African national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. ``We will not change it. We will stress it. We want it louder and louder and louder.''
The horns have prompted complaints, but Sepp Blatter, the president of soccer's governing body, declined to ban them for the World Cup, saying they are part of the sport's culture in South Africa.
Some officials, though, have told fans they need to take it easy.
``The level of noise in the stadium - it is an important matter that when we make an announcement in the stadium, everybody must be able to hear it,'' local organizing committee chief Danny Jordaan said.
``We ask for that particular discipline. We cannot have unmitigated noise levels in the midst of the singing of national anthems,'' he said. ``These are serious issues that we need to address.''
Don't expect World Cup fans to keep quiet.
Vuvuzela seller Ndaba Sdombe believes the instruments, which cost less than $3, add excitement to the game.
``Without it, it's a lifeless match. How do you enjoy it?'' asked Sdombe, 23.
If you don't like the sound of a vuvuzela, there's also the kuduzela - which makes a deeper and louder noise - and the mini vuvuzela, with a sharper, more piercing noise.
Some soccer fans attach a vuvuzela to a hard hat decorated in team colors, creating a contraption known as the makarapa vuvuzela.
Ayanda Dube, 27, says she believes vuvuzelas can influence how the athletes perform. ``When I have it,'' she said, ``players get power from it.''
A Cape Town-based group has even formed a ``vuvuzela orchestra'' to perform with the various plastic horns.
The history of the vuvuzela is somewhat disputed.
Enoch Mthembu claims that the Shembe Church, a South African Christian church, first created the vuvuzela but called it ``ibhomu,'' which was made from metal.
But Freddy ``Saddam'' Maake says he got the idea from a metal bicycle horn. He went into partnership with the Boogie Blast Co., which began mass-producing plastic horns.
Lucky Sekati, a 29-year-old soccer fan, said he would advise foreigners coming for the World Cup ``to try it out and see, so that they can experience South African culture.''
``Each country has its own. Some play instruments, some sing, and we play vuvuzelas.''
The South African Earplug Co. has an answer for those who can't stand the sound of the horns. It has designed an earplug in the shape of a vuvuzela. Spokesman Andrew Chin said the company had 70,000 provisional orders a few weeks before the tournament.
Bryan Robson, the former England captain and now coach of the team from Thailand believes the horns will make a huge difference for the lightly regarded host team.
He should know. Bafana Bafana - the nickname for the South Africans - beat Thailand 4-0 in a recent exhibition game as the vuvuzelas blared.
Robson's message to South Africa's opponent in the tournament opener Friday: ``Good luck, Mexico.''
