The Talking Drum Djidji Ayokwè: How France Returned It to Côte d'Ivoire

In 2026, Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer) welcomed home a drum that had been away for more than a hundred years: Djidji Ayokwè. According to the country's official news agency, AIP, it is the first of 148 Ivorian cultural objects held in France to be formally returned. It is not just a museum piece but the voice and memory of a community, and its restitution has become a landmark case in the recent movement to bring African heritage home.

A drum that "talks"

According to AFP reporting in 2026, Djidji Ayokwè is a large wooden drum more than three metres long and weighing about 430 kilograms, belonging to the Ebrié community of the Abidjan area (referred to by the French Ministry of Culture as the Atchan community). It was used to transmit messages: warning of danger, summoning men to battle, and calling villagers to ceremonies. Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Culture, Françoise Remarck, has described it as having once protected a community and as a symbol of social cohesion.

In 1916 the French colonial administration seized the drum. It was later shipped to France (AFP and AIP give the year as 1929 and 1930 respectively), exhibited in Paris for decades, and finally held at the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.

Restitution timeline

Date	Milestone
Late 2018	Côte d'Ivoire submits a list of 148 colonial-era objects for return (AFP)
1 August 2019	President Alassane Ouattara formally requests the return of the drum
8 October 2021	French President Macron agrees at the Africa–France Summit
18 November 2024	The two countries' culture ministers sign a deposit agreement and a museum cooperation plan
16 July 2025	France passes Law No. 2025-644, authorising the drum's removal from the national collections, with transfer to be completed within one year
20 February 2026	Ceremony at the musée du quai Branly; the two culture ministers sign the transfer-of-ownership documents
13 March 2026	The drum arrives in Abidjan by chartered flight; the crate is left unopened at first so the drum can acclimatise
7 August 2026	On Independence Day, the drum is paraded in a glass case through Yopougon to Adjamé village, where it was made — its first public appearance

French public collections are in principle inalienable, so each past restitution has required a dedicated law. The French Ministry of Culture states that on 28 January 2026 the French Senate unanimously passed a framework law simplifying the restitution procedure; AFP reported that this law was adopted in May 2026.

Next: back to the museum

According to the French Ministry of Culture, the drum will be placed in the central hall of the renovated Museum of Civilisations of Côte d'Ivoire; the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs has committed €4.3 million to the museum's modernisation, digitisation and staff training. As of reports in August 2026, no reopening date for the museum had been announced. Reports in February 2026 also indicated that Côte d'Ivoire is still seeking the return of the other 147 objects from France and other countries.

If you plan to visit, check official announcements from Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry of Culture or the museum to confirm display dates.

One line for Asian readers

The return of Djidji Ayokwè is a reminder that every African object in a museum has a "home". Next time you see one in a museum abroad, take a moment to find out how it got there.

References: AIP — Retour historique du tambour parleur Djidji Ayôkwè (March 2026); French Ministry of Culture — Restitution du tambour parleur Djidji Ayokwé (2026); French Ministry of Culture — Coopération culturelle France–Côte d'Ivoire (2024); AllAfrica — Le tambour parleur restitué (February 2026); AllAfrica — Le retour du tambour parleur célébré à Abidjan (March 2026); Africanews / AFP — Ivory Coast celebrates return of sacred talking drum (August 2026)