as part of the Fabbrica Europa 2026 festival

When the word and the sound are the same, the body and the soul merge, touching each other in the abyss of a
scream, a lament, sinking so deep that it almost feels like dying for an instant, only to be reborn and feel life with
renewed vigor.

It is the ecstasy of the spirit, it is the pain of a body tormented by itself, it is the essence of the sacred and the profane, where they meet in the deepest point.

There exists a life and words that reside in a very deep place of our feelings, and this state emerges with the surrender of reason, swimming in the darkness of our fears, surrendering to oblivion, rejecting control.

That voice is freed, like the very first scream of which we have no memory, only the certainty of its meaning: I exist.

Winner of the FONDO 2025/26 grant, Wissal Houbabi is a poetry performer, artist, writer, art director of Spore, and hip-hop head.
She explores the relationship between languages and dialects, vocal sounds, stigma, and meanings. Over time, she has distinguished herself through her creativity, her radical vocal and political stance, her provocative irony, and her skill and care in connecting with people. Her work has a clear political perspective, linking the pursuit of beauty to dignity and viewing poetic practice as a radical search for “us.”
Her projects explore the epistemology of the diaspora, and she has specifically focused on oral heritage in relation to colonialism, the body’s voice, muscular memory, dreaming in diaspora, and the inner perspective of the right to love and be loved for oppressed people.

concept, texts and direction: Wissal Houbabi
with Wissal Houbabi and Afif Ben Fekih
historical and cultural research mentor: Hassan Abbouqi
production: Wissal Houbabi and Hassan Abbouqi
costumes: Maalma Touch, Rossana La Verde
shooting: Yassine moujarrib
original music and soundscapes: Afif Ben Fekih
graphic design: Sarah Addouh
project supported by FONDO network for emerging creativity

photo (detail): Pietro Bertora