France returns colonial-era talking drum to Ivory Coast

France has formally returned a sacred “talking drum” looted during the colonial era to Ivory Coast, marking the latest in a series of artefact repatriations to African nations.

The Djidji Ayokwe drum, seized in 1916 by French colonial authorities from the Ebrie people, was handed over at a ceremony at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris on Friday, February 20.

Measuring more than three metres (10 feet) in length and weighing 430 kilograms (950 pounds), the drum was traditionally used by the Ebrie community to transmit messages across distances.

France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati addressed attendees during the official restitution ceremony, which was attended by her Ivorian counterpart, Francoise Remarck.

“All of Ivory Coast is ready to welcome it,” Remarck said at the event. She added that she was “extremely moved” by the “return of this symbol” that is “finally coming back to its homeland”. The drum will be permanently exhibited in a new museum currently under construction in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s commercial capital.

The restitution comes amid growing calls for European countries to return artefacts acquired during the colonial period. France is preparing to repatriate hundreds of objects to African nations, with plans to accelerate the process through new legislation authorising broader returns.

French national museums house tens of thousands of artworks and cultural objects obtained through seizure or purchase during colonial rule. Former colonies including Algeria, Mali and Benin have formally requested the return of numerous items.

European governments have gradually begun returning select artefacts in recent years as part of wider efforts to rebuild relations with former colonies.