By Ollus Ndomu
France has approved the return of a sacred royal drum to Ivory Coast, more than a century after it was looted by French colonial troops. The decision marks a symbolic step in the growing movement to repatriate Africa’s stolen heritage.
The Djidji Ayôkwé, a revered “talking drum” once used by the Ébrié people to announce royal messages and summon villagers, was seized in 1916 during French colonial expansion. On July 10, the lower house of the French Parliament passed legislation removing the drum from national museum collections, following a similar vote in the upper house in April.
The drum is one of 148 cultural artefacts from Ivory Coast currently held in France. The Ivorian government formally requested their return in 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron had pledged in 2021 to return the Djidji Ayôkwé as part of broader efforts to repair historical injustices.
Clavaire Aguego Mobio, leader of the Ébrié community, welcomed the decision with emotion. “This is more than a drum. It is the voice of our ancestors. Its return is a restoration of dignity,” he said.
The Djidji Ayôkwé had been stored in a Paris museum for decades, inaccessible to the community it once served. Its return is expected to take place later this year, in coordination with Ivorian cultural authorities.
The move comes amid wider demands across Africa for the return of looted heritage. In Kenya, the National Museums of Kenya is actively campaigning for the repatriation of sacred Maasai, Kikuyu, and Swahili artefacts. Civil society groups have also called for the return of colonial-era archives and regalia held in British, French, and German institutions.
Historians say such returns are not merely symbolic but essential for repairing the cultural and spiritual dislocation caused by colonialism.
“The restitution of African artefacts is about more than museum pieces,” said Dr. Lamine Diop, a Senegalese cultural historian. “It is about justice, memory, and ownership of identity.”
France has previously returned 26 artefacts to Benin and is negotiating further returns with Senegal and Nigeria. Still, critics say progress has been slow, and the legal hurdles to repatriation remain high.
For now, the return of the Djidji Ayôkwé is being celebrated as a historic moment for Ivory Coast, a small but powerful act of restoration in the long shadow of colonialism.
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