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 decades of being exhibited in Paris.

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

Although the drum was officially handed over in February and arrived in Ivory Coast in March aboard a specially chartered plane, it had remained in its large wooden crate until the ceremony. On August 8th, it was carried in a military parade through the Yopougon district of Abidjan before continuing to the village of Adjame, where it was originally made.

Ivory Coast had requested the return of the Djidji Ayokwe in late 2018, among 148 works of art taken during the colonial period. The drum is one of hundreds of stolen artifacts that Paris is preparing to send back to Africa, supported by a new French law approved in May 2026.

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 at the event, saying he had come to share a moment of "great joy, when we remembering our ancestors."

The drum was seized by French colonial authorities in 1916 and shipped to Europe in 1929, where it was displayed in Paris for decades.

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