Ivory Coast celebrates return of sacred talking drum looted during French colonial rule

The Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) is celebrating the return of a sacred "talking drum" looted during French colonial rule.

The Djidji Ayôkwé (Panther Lion) was taken by colonial authorities more than a century ago in 1916, before being transported to France in 1929.

The wooden artefact has been on display in museums in France, most recently at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris which houses thousands of works from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

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"The drum made it possible to transmit messages over long distances - up to 30 kilometres in all directions - to neighbouring villages", said Hélène Joubert from the Africa collections at the Quai Branly Museum.

It was welcomed home at a special ceremony attended by dignitaries and members of the Ebrié community, its original owners.

Accompanying a photo of the drum on Facebook, President Alassane Ouattara wrote:

"Thanks to strong political will and active diplomacy, the Talking Drum 'Djidji Ayôkwé' is finally back on his soil, after more than a century of absence."

As Africa business specialist Rutendo Hwindingwi points out, transporting the drum either way was no mean feat - it is almost four metres long and weighs over 400 kg.

It arrived at Abidjan International Airport on a specially chartered plane, transported in a large wooden crate.

The drum will be exhibited at the Museum of Civilizations in Abidjan, a city often referred to as the “Paris of West Africa” because of its architecture.

It is the first item on a list of 148 artworks that Ivory Coast is requesting be returned by France and other countries.

A restitution process initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 has already seen the return of cultural treasures to Benin and Senegal.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Africa Business Report (Ivory Coast discussion at 6:59)