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, which was used by the Ebrie tribe to transmit messages, is more than three metres (10 feet) long and weighs 430 kilograms.

The ceremony coincided with Ivory Coast's national independence day holiday and marked the first time many Ivorians were able to see the drum. After a military parade through the Yopougon district of Abidjan, the drum was taken to its home village of Adjame, where it was originally made.

Ivory Coast had requested the return of the Djidji Ayokwe in late 2018 as part of a broader effort to reclaim 148 works of art taken during the colonial period. The drum was officially handed over in February 2026 and arrived in Ivory Coast in March aboard a specially chartered plane, though it remained in its crate until the ceremony.

The drum had been seized by French colonial authorities in 1916, shipped to Europe in 1929, and exhibited in Paris for decades. Its return is part of a larger movement supported by a new French law passed in May 2026, which facilitates the repatriation of stolen African artefacts.

Adjame mayor Farikou Soumahoro emphasized the importance of cultural 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, saying he had come to share a moment of "great joy, when we remembering our ancestors."

Ivorians expressed a desire to see the drum with their own eyes to truly believe it belongs to them.

Sources