Ivorian Drum Returns Home After a Century

The Return of the Djidji Ayokwè Drum

In the heart of Abidjan, a lively crowd of chiefs and villagers gathered at the airport on Friday to greet a giant drum that had been away for more than 100 years.
The instrument, known as Djidji Ayokwè or “Panther‑Lion” in the local language, is over three metres long and almost 400 kilos heavy. It was once used by the Atchan people to warn others about forced labour and to rally warriors against colonial forces.

The drum’s journey began in 1916 when it was taken from its village, then moved to the governor’s palace in Abidjan. In 1930 it crossed the ocean and found a home at Paris’s Quai Branly Museum, where it stayed for almost nine decades. Now, the first piece of French‑stolen art to return to Ivory Coast, it signals a small but significant step toward cultural restitution.

The Ivorian Ministry of Culture is pushing for the return of 148 more artifacts that were removed during colonial rule. The celebration included songs and war dances, and the culture minister declared the day “historic.” Her words reflected a shared sense of pride that the community feels as it regains an important part of its heritage.

For the Atchan people, the drum is more than a musical instrument; it represents identity and history. Chief Gervais Djoman explained that its return feels like reclaiming a lost piece of themselves, something that had been taken away psychologically and emotionally.

This event comes amid growing global pressure on former colonial powers to return stolen cultural objects. The drum’s homecoming shows that restitution is possible, but it also highlights the long road ahead for many other communities seeking to recover their cultural treasures.