Marseille, a shared city

In a city shaped by human and cultural movement, SINGA Marseille chose a simple and accessible format: coming together, engaging in shared practices, listening to personal stories, and celebrating what connects us. A tangible response to polarised debates on migration, placing lived experience and human relationships back at the centre of the conversation.

“This day is a way of showing what we build every day: connections, projects and spaces where everyone has a place,” explains Arnaud Mispolet, Director of SINGA Marseille.

A Day to Experience, Not Just Observe

From the very start, the atmosphere was set. The yoga session led by Farzona brought together a diverse group: regulars of the venue, curious neighbours and people supported by SINGA. Breathing together, slowing down, taking time. Later on, the inclusive dance workshop led by S.W.A.G Studio transformed the space. Bodies moved together, sometimes hesitantly, then gradually found their rhythm. The mood softened, smiles appeared.

Throughout the afternoon, activities unfolded seamlessly, without barriers. On the diversity mural, each participant added a colour, a word or a shape, slowly composing a collective portrait of Marseille. Just a few metres away, the moving debate facilitated by La Cimade invited participants to take a physical stand, to shift positions, and to listen to different perspectives. The discussions were sometimes tentative, often candid, always respectful.

Children moved freely between storytelling sessions, creative workshops and improvised cooking activities. Meanwhile, the creators’ market and solidarity clothes swap showcased initiatives led by people supported by SINGA Marseille, spanning crafts, fashion and social economy.

Giving a Voice to Those Seldom Heard

In the late afternoon, the round table discussion “Migration and Inclusion in Marseille: Voices from Lived Experience” created a moment of collective pause. Alongside Benoît Hamon, Chief Executive Officer of SINGA Global, several people who have experienced exile shared their stories.

Their words were simple, sometimes filled with emotion. They spoke of arrival, loneliness, and solidarity. In the room, the silence was attentive. Some sentences lingered long after they were spoken.

When Celebration Extends the Encounter

As evening fell, a new energy took over. Rap performances, a DJ set and dishes inspired by Lebanese, Turkish and Filipino cuisines set the tone. Conversations resumed around the tables, paths crossed once again. Here, celebration did not erase the exchanges of the day. It extended them, in a different way.

The Bazar Festival is not intended to be a standalone event. It is part of SINGA Marseille’s daily work: creating spaces where long-standing residents of Marseille and newly arrived individuals meet, collaborate and build together. This first edition showed that by starting from simple shared practices, moving, listening, creating and eating together, it is possible to shift perspectives and bring new narratives on migration to the surface.