The French government has officially approved the restitution of Côte d’Ivoire’s sacred talking drum, Djidji Ayôkwé, a culturally significant artifact looted by French colonial forces in 1916. In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the French National Assembly backed the special restitution bill with 111 votes in favor, allowing the drum to be returned to its rightful home. The Djidji Ayôkwé, a three-meter-long, 430-kilogram ceremonial drum, was traditionally used by the Atchan people of Côte d’Ivoire to communicate messages during rituals and to issue community alerts. After being looted during colonial military operations, the drum was transported to France, where it was stored in the Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac since 1929.
The move fulfills a pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 during a landmark speech in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where he vowed to return African cultural artifacts taken during the colonial era. The French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, confirmed the two-phase restitution process will conclude ahead of the reopening of the Museum of Civilizations of Côte d’Ivoire, which will house the drum.
To enable the return, France passed a special law circumventing existing heritage protections that normally prevent items in national collections from being returned. Dati further announced that a broader legislative proposal to facilitate future restitutions of cultural artifacts acquired under questionable circumstances would be introduced by the end of July. In Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has established a national committee, chaired by Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé, to coordinate the drum’s return. The artifact was restored in France in 2022 in preparation for repatriation. The return of the Djidji Ayôkwé is part of a growing international push to address the colonial legacy and promote the restitution of African heritage.
