“
This song is not racist and never will be.
Vivien Vallay, the lyricist of
Chaud Cacao,
is
stepping
up to defend the popular song of Annie Cordy.
The text has become a subject of controversy since the Belgian authorities decided to rename the tunnel Leopold II, a king today considered "
colonialist
", for the benefit of the unforgettable Maid of the priest.
Read also:
Annie Cordy's
Chaud Cacao
becomes a racist song in Belgium
In the columns of the
Parisian
, this passionate melodist of 67 years, who wrote for Dalida (
He had just turned eighteen
), Joe Dassin (
The eyes of Emilie
) and many other headliners of the years 1970 like Charlotte Jullian, Carlos and Gérard Lenorman, does not understand what one reproaches with this song which was intended above all to be a fantasy.
“
We are absolutely not making fun of Africans in this.
All of this is unimaginable, he
laments
.
Today, I would do exactly the same thing, there is no mischief, the point is pure.
This poor song didn't deserve all of that.
"
To read also: Annie Cordy accused of racism: "No area is spared by
cancel culture
"
The lyricist of
Chaud Cacao
has decided to react since his text and its interpreter were pilloried by Mireille Tseuhi Robert, president of Bamko, a "
feminist center of reflection and action on anti-black racism
", which confused perhaps the singer's hit with Dieudonné's anti-Semitic hijacking, had declared on RTL: ""
There is a change of paradigm and a political change.
It's a song that cannot be erased from Belgian heritage, nor Annie Cordy for that matter, but what is most important is to be aware of it. ”
Defense and Illustration of
Chaud Cacao
Point by point, echoing the couplets and the refrains of
Chaud Cacao
(also spelled
Cho Ka Ka O
), Vivien Vallay refuted all the accusations.
“
The stories of pedophilia hurt me even more, I am appalled to see how far the wickedness can go, he
denounces.
This mouth represents greed because the desire to eat chocolate takes us while listening to the song.
"
Finally to put an end to this controversy which hurts him, the one who began his career as a guitarist in the popular balls, concluded his defense and illustration of his dear
Cho Ka Ka O,
delivered the genesis of his song.
Looking at the package of hot chocolate he was tasting, on which was a baobab crushed under the sun, the idea for the text came naturally to him: "
I imagined warriors going out to hunt for lions while singing. hot cocoa
”.
Chaud Cacao
by Vivien Vallay performed by Annie Cordy