Singing about cholera (and the plague too)

The appearance of cholera in Mayotte invites us to explore the memory of epidemics distant enough for our popular culture to make them objects without affect.

“Cholera was lurking near the town, disguised as an apple seller” : this sentence from the Swiss group Hyperculte says a lot about the awareness we have, here in Western Europe, of the reality of cholera. When we learned this week – we told you about it on franceinfo – that a child died of cholera in Mayotte, the symbolism was obviously very strong: it has been a very long time since we had experienced cholera on the territory of the French Republic.

Listen, listen to the singer Stello.

In the second episode of These songs that make the news broadcast this weekend, you hear excerpts from:

Hypercult, Cholera, 2016

Stella, Here comes cholera, 1889 (1935 recording)

The Lunaisians, Here comes cholera, 1889 (2022 recording)

Marc Ogeret, Here comes cholera, 1889 (2009 recording)

Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine, The Borniol House, 1978

Léo Ferré, The musicians, 1979

Tagada Jones, Plague and Cholera, 2017

Birgé and Vitet, Plague and Cholera, 1997

Mr Roux, Plague and cholera, 2011

The Lunaisians, Here comes cholera, 1889 (2022 recording)

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And you can also find the podcast on this link Behind our voices, with the writing and composition secrets of eight major artists of the French scene, Laurent Voulzy, Julien Clerc, Bénabar, Dominique A, Carla Bruni, Emily Loizeau, Juliette and Gaëtan Roussel.