A monumental artifact of Ivorian heritage, the sacred Djidji Ayôkwé drum, has been ceremoniously returned to Ivory Coast after more than a century in French possession. The massive talking drum, measuring over three meters in length and weighing approximately 430 kilograms, was looted by French colonial forces in 1916 during France’s occupation of West Africa.
The drum’s journey home began after the French parliament passed special legislation on February 20 authorizing its restitution. It arrived at Abidjan International Airport aboard a specially chartered aircraft, carefully secured in a large wooden crate marked ‘fragile.’ Members of the Ebrié community, the original custodians of this cultural treasure, gathered to welcome the drum home in an emotional ceremony featuring traditional dancers and local chiefs.
This restitution represents part of France’s broader initiative to return African cultural artifacts, a process formally initiated in 2017. The Djidji Ayôkwé holds particular significance as the first item on a list of 148 works that Ivory Coast is seeking to recover from France and other nations. The drum had been displayed at Paris museums since 1929, first at the Trocadéro Museum and later at the Quai Branly Museum.
Ivorian Culture Minister Françoise Remarck described the homecoming as ‘a historic day with lots of emotions’ and ‘a moment of justice and remembrance.’ The return coincides with France’s legislative efforts to streamline the restitution process, with the Senate adopting a framework law on January 29 to facilitate the removal of colonial-era artifacts from French national collections.