EUrban DECO project – Exploring EU urban landscapes for a deconstruction of colonial narratives.
EUrban DECO – “Exploring EU urban landscapes for a deconstruction of colonial narratives”, running from March 2024 to February 2026, explore the colonial legacy inside today’s EU cities. By exploring symbols, romanticized narratives, and toponymy, the project aims to investigate the long-lasting influence of colonial ideologies in EU urban environments, starting a collective debate about their impact and promoting new narratives and shared cultural remembrance inside EU cities’ toponymy. The colonial legacy of Europe’s recent past will be put at the core of this transnational investigation aimed at raising awareness on the relationship between urban landscapes, historic memory and multicultural integration and attracting wider attention on the topic from public authorities and stakeholders.
The key outcomes of the project are: first, the creation of updated urban maps for the seven cities involved in the project, highlighting key traces linked to the colonial legacy (toponymy, buildings, monuments) and symbolically renaming them under the perspective of colonized peoples to develop a more inclusive historical narrative. Second, the organization of seven transnational events, each addressing a specific topic of European colonial history, that will actively involve key target groups such as immigrant communities, minorities, women and local authorities. Third, the establishment of a transnational citizens’ network aimed to attract policy makers’ attention to the topic of colonial legacy in EU cities and demanding collective action to re-discuss it.
All project activities will be carried out keeping a close focus on gender perspective, considering the historical interconnections between gender issues and colonialism. A gender-sensitive approach will therefore be ensured in all events, thanks to the supervision and thematic and methodological coordination of Women of Mediterranean east and south European Network (IT), Vital Aid Foundation (NL) and Solution: Solidarité et Inclusion Association (FR).
It is therefore in this context that SOLUTION is organising an event on 2, 3 and 4 December 2025 focusing on multiculturalism in French society. The programme includes:
- 2 December: transnational meeting of partners and guided tour of the Quai Branly Museum
- 3 December: walk around Parisian sites of interest in terms of colonial history, afternoon at the CICP with a reading of a poem by Maison Moon, a screening of Nadia Salem’s film “Aucune rue ne portera ton nom” (No street will bear your name), and a discussion with Sokhna Fall from the association Femmes, Entraide et Autonomie (Women, Mutual Aid and Autonomy). Then, starting at 6 p.m. at Baranoux, an evening focusing on art as a decolonial tool, with visual artist Fa, authors Zakaria Haroussi and Abdoulaye Sissoko, and film researcher Louise Merabet.
- 4 December: workshop to discover dances from the Maghreb.
Event report is available here below!
The project is funded by the CERV Citizens, Equality, Right and Values Programme, Citizens’ engagement and participation strand – European Remembrance and involves partners from Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, The Netherlands, Albania and Germany.
“Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”