France returns the looted “talking drum” to Côte d’Ivoire after 110 years
The Djidji Ayôkwé, seized in 1916, is the first artefact France has returned to the country.
Key points
- The Djidji Ayôkwé, a sacred talking drum of the Atchan people seized by French colonial authorities in 1916, arrived back in Abidjan on 13 March 2026.
- It is the first artefact France has returned to Côte d’Ivoire, and the first of 148 objects the country has sought from France.
- The drum, once used to send coded messages between villages, is expected to go on display at the Museum of Civilizations in Abidjan.
After 110 years in Paris, the Djidji Ayôkwé is home. The sacred "talking drum" arrived in Abidjan on 13 March 2026, returned by France more than a century after French colonial forces seized it in 1916.
A drum that carried messages
The Djidji Ayôkwé is a huge carved wooden drum that belonged to the Atchan people of the Abidjan region. Skilled drummers used it to send coded messages between villages, using rhythms that could be heard up to an estimated 30 kilometres away.
A first for Côte d'Ivoire
It is the first artefact France has returned to Côte d'Ivoire, and the first of 148 objects that the country has asked France to give back. The drum is expected to be displayed at the Museum of Civilizations in Abidjan.
The return is part of a French effort, begun almost a decade ago, to restore cultural objects taken from African countries during the colonial period.
Why it matters
Restitution is about more than objects. For communities, the return of the Djidji Ayôkwé restores a piece of cultural memory. It comes in a year when calls for historical justice have grown, from the UN resolution on the slave trade to a Nigerian court's ruling on the Iva Valley massacre.
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