Trending Now - France Returns Looted Sacred Drum to Ivory Coast

WHO:

France

Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast Culture Minister Françoise Remarck

French President Emmanuel Macron

Aboussou Guy Mobio, chief of the village of Adjamé-Bingerville

Atchan traditional leaders

WHAT:

France returned a sacred talking drum to Ivory Coast.

The drum, named Djidji Ayôkwé, was looted in 1916.

The drum measures about 11.5 feet (138 inches) long and weighs roughly 950 pounds.

Ivory Coast has requested the return of at least 140 looted artifacts from France.

The artifact will undergo a monthlong acclimatization period before going on public display.

WHERE:

The drum was returned at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The drum was looted from the Abidjan region.

WHEN:

The drum was returned on March 13th, 2026.

French President Macron announced plans to repatriate artifacts in 2018.

The French Parliament adopted a special law for the artifact's return in 2025.

The drum is expected to go on public display in April 2026.

WHY:

The return is part of a nearly decade-old effort by the French government to return cultural artifacts to African nations.

The return is seen as a moment of justice and remembrance.

HOW:

The repatriation process involved consultations with Atchan traditional leaders.

Rituals were performed in Paris to lift the drum’s sacred status for its return.

(UPDATED March 13, 2026 17:13 UTC)

Today, France returned a sacred talking drum, known as Djidji Ayôkwé, to Ivory Coast at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan, marking a significant moment in the ongoing effort to repatriate cultural artifacts to African nations. This drum, which was looted in 1916 and measures about 11.5 feet long while weighing roughly 950 pounds, will undergo a monthlong acclimatization period before going on public display in April. The return follows a series of consultations with Atchan traditional leaders and is viewed as a moment of justice and remembrance, part of a nearly decade-long initiative by the French government.