Colonies. Des sources pour comprendre

Why did French deputies vote to repeal the Code Noir, 178 years after the abolition of slavery? On what documentary evidence are the restitutions of colonial cultural property based, set in motion by the framework law promulgated in May 2026? Can a peaceful memory be built from conflicting histories?

The Archives nationales d'outre-mer invite visitors to return to the sources of France's colonial history, to understand a past whose echoes shape our present. From 10 October 2026, they present the new permanent exhibition "Colonies. Des sources pour comprendre" and invite the public to discover the archives they hold and make available. Witnesses to France's colonial past, drawn from the five continents and spanning four centuries, these archives are today the material for scientific and individual research, and the leaven of a plural memory.

Designed for all audiences, and especially the youngest, the exhibition addresses current social issues linked to France's colonial past. From the moment they arrive, visitors are plunged into the storerooms, reconstructed at full scale, and discover more than 80 reproduced documents: a plan of Montreal in 1704, the draft decree abolishing slavery, posters against the 1931 colonial exhibition, penal colony files on Louise Michel, anti-colonial newspapers... Chronological and geographical landmarks guide visitors, and, throughout the year, the presentation of original documents resonates with scientific or heritage news.

The archives are illuminated by five intimate trails, brought to life through audio captions adapted from the podcast 38 km, retrouver sa voie. (En) quête dans les archives coloniales. This audio documentary series, written by journalist Iris Ouedraogo, unfolds in five episodes, five territories and five intimate quests. It will be available free of charge from 10 October 2026 on all listening platforms.