France has returned a sacred talking drum looted during the colonial period to Ivory Coast, marking the first such restitution between the two countries and part of a broader push by European nations to return cultural artefacts to Africa..reports Asian Lite news
France returned a sacred talking drum looted during the colonial era to Ivory Coast on Friday, in what officials described as a significant step in ongoing efforts to repatriate African cultural artefacts held in European collections.
The Djidji Ayôkwé, a massive carved wooden drum traditionally used by the Atchan people in the Abidjan region to communicate between villages, was formally handed over during a ceremony marking its arrival at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport. The drum had been taken by French colonial authorities in 1916 and remained in France for more than a century.
The return represents the first restitution of a cultural artefact by France to Ivory Coast and forms part of a broader international effort to address the legacy of colonial-era looting. Ivory Coast has requested the return of at least 140 artefacts currently held in French collections.
Ivory Coast Culture Minister Françoise Remarck described the moment as significant for the country’s cultural heritage. “This is a historic day and a moment of justice and remembrance,” she said at the ceremony welcoming the artefact.
The Djidji Ayôkwé, whose name means “panther-lion”, is about 11.5 feet long and weighs roughly 950 pounds. Historians say the drum once played an important role in the social life of Atchan communities, serving as a communication tool that allowed messages to travel between villages. Among its functions was alerting communities about forced labour recruitment organised by colonial authorities.
The repatriation is linked to a wider policy shift announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018. Macron pledged that France would work toward returning African cultural heritage taken during the colonial period. His announcement followed a report he commissioned from academic researchers that recommended the restitution of artefacts acquired under colonial rule.
To facilitate the drum’s return, the French Parliament last year adopted a special law allowing the object to be removed from national collections. French museums are generally prohibited from permanently transferring items in state collections without specific legislation.
The process also required consultation with Atchan traditional authorities. Community leaders travelled to Paris to conduct rituals intended to lift the drum’s sacred status, a step necessary to allow it to be handled, restored and transported.
For Atchan representatives attending the ceremony in Abidjan, the drum’s return carries symbolic meaning beyond the physical object itself. “After a long stay far from its land, our sacred drum is finally returning to its people,” said Aboussou Guy Mobio, chief of the village of Adjamé-Bingerville. “It is like the missing piece of our history coming back,” Mobio added.
The drum will not immediately go on public display. Conservators have placed it in a secure location for a monthlong acclimatisation period so the wood can gradually adjust from Paris’s dry climate to the humid tropical conditions of Abidjan. Experts say the gradual transition is necessary to prevent cracking or damage to the centuries-old wood.
After this process, the Djidji Ayôkwé is expected to be exhibited at the newly renovated Museum of Civilizations in Abidjan beginning in April.
The restitution comes amid growing calls across Africa for the return of artefacts removed during colonial rule. Several European governments and museums have begun reviewing their collections, though many objects remain in institutions outside the continent.
