On Friday, August 8th, 2026, Ivory Coast celebrated the return of the Djidji Ayokwe, a sacred "talking drum" looted by French colonial troops in 1916. The drum arrived back in its home village in Ivory Coast after being officially handed over in February and arriving in March aboard a specially chartered plane.

The ceremony coincided with Ivory Coast's national independence day holiday and marked the first time contemporary Ivorians were able to see the drum. The imposing wooden drum, over three meters (10 feet) long and weighing 430 kilograms, was traditionally used by the Ebrie tribe to transmit messages.

On the day of the celebration, the drum was carried in a military parade through the Yopougon district of Abidjan before continuing to the village of Adjame, where it was originally made. Adjame mayor Farikou Soumahoro emphasized the importance of preserving heritage, stating, "A nation cannot develop if it doesn't preserve its memory and promote its heritage."

Traditional leader Cyriaque Ahoure, 63, expressed his emotions about the event, saying he had come to share a moment of "great joy, when we remembering our ancestors."

The drum had been seized by French colonial authorities in 1916, shipped to Europe in 1929, and exhibited in Paris for decades. Ivory Coast had formally requested the return of the Djidji Ayokwe along with 148 other works of art taken during the colonial period in late 2018. This return is part of a broader effort by Paris to repatriate hundreds of stolen artifacts to Africa, supported by a new French law approved in May 2026.

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