The Djidji Ayokwe “talking drum,” looted by French colonial troops in 1916, returned to Ivory Coast Friday morning.
The wooden drum, over three metres long and weighing 430 kilos, was traditionally used by the Ebrie tribe to transmit vital messages.
France’s parliament approved its removal from national museum collections, enabling the drum’s official handover on February 20 this year.
Ivory Coast requested the drum’s return in 2018, among 148 cultural objects taken during the colonial era, marking a long-awaited restitution.
A specially chartered plane delivered the drum to Abidjan, its massive crate stamped “fragile,” as journalists observed its careful arrival at the airport.
Culture Minister Francoise Remarck welcomed the artefact, calling the moment historic, while the Ebrie community sang and played drums in celebration.
French President Emmanuel Macron pledged in 2021 to return the drum and other artefacts, signalling a broader shift in repatriation policy.
The drum will first rest in a controlled “safe space” to acclimatise, before exhibition at the renovated Museum of Civilisations in Abidjan.
For the Ebrie community, the drum represents justice and remembrance, previously used to warn of danger, mobilise for war, and call villagers to ceremonies.
Other African nations, including Senegal and Benin, have also sought repatriation, with France passing a 2020 law to return royal treasures of Dahomey permanently.
The return of colonial-era artefacts has stirred global debate, pressuring European and U.S. museums, collectors, and institutions to restore cultural heritage to rightful communities.
Aboussou Guy Georges Mobio, an Ebrie village chief, expressed relief, calling the drum’s homecoming a sacred restoration of cultural memory and identity.