"The Vuvuzela - South Africa's Secret Weapon" Football fans travelling to the world cup in south africa are being warned to prepare for an ear-shattering experience

The stadiums are going to be filled with the deafening drone of the vuvuzela, a horn favoured by South African supporters.

The plastic instrument is so loud that visiting fans from all nations are being urged to wear ear plugs to protect themselves.
"The vuvuzela can reach 131 decibels, which is almost as loud as a gunshot," said Professor De Wet Swanpol, of Pretoria University.
"We have found that football fans exposed to the noise during just one game suffer some hearing loss," he said.
His research has added to the controversy already swirling around the vuvuzela.
When South Africa hosted the Confederations Cup in 2009, some international players complained that they could not hear each other on the pitch above the noise.
The constant "swarm of bees"-like hum was also an irritation for viewers watching the matches on TV.
There were reportedly calls for the vuvuzela to be banned during the World Cup, although Fifa denied receiving any official complaints.
Even if there were complaints, it would have been extremely unwise for the Europeans in Fifa to try to interfere with the culture of the South African game.
It is really loud though.
At a recent cup match involving local team Orlando Pirates at their home stadium in Soweto, Sky News braved the perils of the vuvuzela to find out the attraction.

Music plays a key part in South African culture
"We blow it hard, to make our players excited," one man said.
"It's great. This is what South African football is about," another yelled.
Sports writer, Nie Cele, says the foreign visitors are just going to have to get used to the racket.
"It's going to affect the players, big time, because they're not used to it," he said. "But they're going to have to adjust fast."
Already the vuvuzela is being cited as the South African team's key weapon in the tournament.
Bryan Robson, the former England manager and current Thailand coach, was stunned by the noise at a recent friendly in South Africa.
"The atmosphere was fantastic, but it was too loud to communicate with my players," he said.