France Returns Sacred Djidji Ayôkwé Drum to Côte d’Ivoire After Century-Long Absence

A century-old wound reopened. France has repatriated a sacred talking drum to Côte d’Ivoire, marking a rare moment of colonial restitution. The Djidji Ayôkwé, confiscated by French colonial administrators in 1916, landed at Port Bouët airport near Abidjan at 8:45 a.m. local time on Friday. The ceremonial handover occurred earlier this month in Paris, with the artefact removed from the Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac Museum collections.

Reported by: Eleanor Cross

Eleanor Cross is a Chief Washington Correspondent.