United Souls returns to Independence Week – Noisy-le-Sec 2026

A 3rd edition to confront history head-on

After a first notable participation in 2025, United Souls , through the association ART Weapon , is pleased to announce its return to the Independence Week of Noisy-le-Sec for its 3rd edition , organised from March 27 to April 4, 2026 .

This event is unique in France today. Few local authorities so clearly acknowledge the need to confront the contemporary history of France and the struggles for independence of colonized peoples.
In Noisy-le-Sec, memory is not an abstract exercise: it is conceived as a political, cultural and educational tool for building society .

As the editorial of this edition reminds us, decolonization constitutes one of the major conflicts of the 20th century, the consequences of which continue to structure our contemporary world and the social realities of France today.

Recognizing this history also means understanding the deep reasons for the cultural plurality that makes up our cities .
The diversity often celebrated in speeches is also the result of past struggles and human movements caused by colonial history.

In a globalized world, the wealth of our nation rests largely on its openness to the world and to the cultures it has encountered throughout its history .

United Souls: Bringing memory into the public space

Since its creation, United Souls has been part of this transmission process.
More than a clothing brand, our project is an artistic and humanist approach aimed at circulating in the public space the faces and stories of those who have changed the course of history.

A week to examine colonial violence

For this third edition, the program revolves around a central theme: colonial violence and its contemporary legacies .

The event will open on March 27, 2026 at the Josephine Baker Hall with the official inauguration and the performative lecture "Who Killed Issam?" by Fernando Zamora, which examines the structural violence pervading contemporary societies.

For more than a week, Noisy-le-Sec will host:

• The Independence Fair , a meeting place for associations and committed stakeholders
• film screenings and debates on decolonial struggles
• roundtables with historians, activists and researchers
• activist training programs focused on mobilization strategies
• artistic performances, readings and shows
• a decolonial walk through the city , to understand the traces of the colonial past in the urban space.

Highlights included:

Screening of the film Soundtrack to a Coup d'État at the Le Trianon cinema, retracing the independence of Congo and the assassination of Patrice Lumumba , followed by a discussion with the rapper Rocé about cultures of resistance.

Performance Langue Boomerang , a poetic hip-hop creation exploring the French language as a space of memory and struggle.

Round table: “From Gaza to Caracas, undoing the colonial war” , bringing together historians and specialists in contemporary struggles.

A decolonial stroll through the streets of Noisy-le-Sec , to observe how colonial history is still inscribed in the urban space.

Choreographic performance “Histoire(s) Décoloniale(s) #Folly” , exploring historical memory through the body and dance.

More information: https://www.noisylesec.fr/sorties-loisirs/culture/semaine-des-independances/

A living memory

Independence Week is not just a cultural event.
It is a space for transmission and collective reflection , which reminds us that the struggles for freedom, dignity and equality continue to structure our present.

In a historical moment marked by the rise of nationalism and identity politics, recalling these stories is essential.

As Aimé Césaire wrote in his Discourse on Colonialism , colonization not only dehumanizes the colonized: it also degrades the colonizer and corrupts the societies that tolerate it.

United Souls: Wearing the faces of history

For United Souls , participating in this week is a no-brainer.

Because history must leave the books and enter the streets ,
Because the faces of those who resisted deserve to be seen ,
Because memory is a collective responsibility .

Through our creations and exhibitions, we will continue to keep these legacies alive.

To bear a face is to bear a story.
To carry a story is to prolong a struggle.