Died in September 2020 in Vallauris (Alpes-Maritimes), Annie Cordy enjoyed immense sympathy in her native country – she was born in Laeken, a stone’s throw from the royal palace in Brussels. The petulant 92-year-old, however, would not have imagined that, a few months after her death, she would still be the subject of so much attention in Belgium. And also from an unexpected controversy, born from the content of one of the 700 songs in his repertoire.
Attention first. Sensitive to two recent phenomena, #metoo and the questioning of the colonial past, the city-region authorities decided in early March to rename the Leopold-II tunnel, a long and sinister underground artery leading to the western outskirts of the city, and to give it the name of the singer, comedian and actress. What should make forget that of the “king builder”, promoter of the bloody conquest of the Congo by Belgium.
The controversy, then. While the decision made fans of Auntie Yoyo that those who considered this choice a bit incongruous, followers of the cancel culture plunged deep into the past to unearth it Cho Ka Ka O (“Hot cocoa”). A ritornello for the end of the evening well watered, at the time – 1985 – when they were possible.
This title, originally conceived as a children’s song, still appears in Baroness Léonia Cooreman’s best of – the real name of Annie Cordy, ennobled by King Albert II in 2005. Rengaine as immutable as The priest’s maid or It will be better tomorrow, this Cho Ka Ka O with supposedly innocent words – “If you give me your coconuts, I’ll give you my pineapples” – should he be denounced for his character “Racist” ?
A box of chocolate powder
The question was briefly raised during a recent televised debate, on a commercial channel, and social networks quickly took hold of it. Letting people forget that the discussion should focus, in principle, on Leopold II and the feminization of the streets of Brussels – 94% of which bear the name of a man. It was rather the song that made the buzz, each one rediscovering in passing a very dated clip where we saw Annie Cordy and six little dancers (white) wearing colorful dresses and headdresses, against a background of fake palm trees.
His lyricist and melodist at the time, Vivien Vallay, a bit distraught, had to bring the affair back to its proper proportions. That of a box of chocolate powder, of the brand
Cho Kakao, who in the early morning gave him the idea of an innocent melody.
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