France Returns 108-Year-Old Talking Drum to Ivory Coast

After 108 years in a Paris museum, a sacred "talking drum" is finally returning to the people of Ivory Coast.

France handed over the Djidji Ayokwe drum on Friday in a moving ceremony that brought Ivory Coast's Culture Minister Françoise Remarck to tears. The massive instrument, stretching over 10 feet long and weighing 950 pounds, was stolen by colonial troops in 1916 from the Ebrie tribe.

The drum wasn't just for music. The Ebrie people used it to transmit messages across distances, making it a vital communication tool and cultural treasure.

"All of Ivory Coast is ready to welcome it," Remarck said at the handover ceremony with French Culture Minister Rachida Dati. She described feeling "extremely moved" by the "return of this symbol" that is "finally coming back to its homeland."

The drum will be displayed permanently in a new museum being built in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial capital. There, it can reconnect with the communities whose ancestors relied on its voice.

This return marks a turning point in France's relationship with its colonial past. French national museums hold tens of thousands of artworks and artifacts seized or purchased during colonial rule, and restitution demands have flooded in from former colonies including Algeria, Mali, and Benin.

France is now preparing to send back hundreds of objects to Africa. A new law will soon authorize mass repatriations, dramatically speeding up the process of returning stolen cultural heritage.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just about one drum. European nations are slowly waking up to the importance of returning looted artifacts, recognizing that true healing requires more than words. Each returned object helps rebuild trust and acknowledges historical wrongs.

For communities across Africa, these repatriations restore connections to ancestors and traditions that colonialism tried to erase. Museums like the one being built in Abidjan will allow African nations to tell their own stories, on their own soil.

The momentum is building, with more countries joining the movement to right historical wrongs and return cultural treasures to their rightful homes.