Côte d'Ivoire’s Sacred Talking Drum Returns Home: Lessons on How It Can Change Lives

---

Image Credit: © Pierre Firtion/RFI

French MPs have unanimously passed a law allowing Paris to return the Djidji Ayôkwé, a sacred talking drum seized by colonial troops from Côte d’Ivoire tribes in 1916.

The Djidji Ayokwe "talking drum" is one of the tens of thousands of prized artefacts looted by France during the reign of its colonial empire, spanning from the 16th to early 20th century. Once used by the Ebrié people to summon gatherings, announce royal messages and foster community identity, its distinct sound could be heard up to 20 kilometres away. Soon to be back home, the long-missed relic will stand again as a vessel of collective memory and dignity.

Timothy Gachanga has decided to explore this return further. A lecturer of peace and conflict studies at Kenyatta University, his research often focuses on the role of art exhibitions and museums in bringing unity. Kenya’s 2013 Journeys of Peace exhibition also bought Gachanga as a project manager, responsible for analysing how the cultural artefacts there could bridge gaps and enhance reconciliation in communities. 

“By applying lessons from Kenya’s exhibition, I argue that this drum’s return could transform a moment of restitution into a movement for reconciliation,” Gachanga said.

“Exhibitions like Journeys of Peace could bring the drum to conflict-affected regions, integrating oral histories and performances to make it a living emblem of peace.”

While not commonly spoken about, cultural artefacts - gourds, fly whisks, stools, belts - all have an unimaginable power to mend fractured communities. For instance, when faced with frequent conflict over cattle theft, the elders of Western Kenya’s Pokot community would often use artefacts for reconciliation vigils, helping two warring communities come together again. In Samburu, a community that has had a history of inner conflicts between pastoralists competing for grazing land, warriors traded guns in exchange for walking staffs to reclaim the peace. Such exchanges take cultural objects not as mere passive relics, but as active tools for healing and embracing peace. 

The Djidji Ayôkwé holds similar power for Côte d’Ivoire, a nation still healing from two devastating civil wars. The first, from 2002 to 2007, saw northern rebels pitting themselves against southern government forces, fuelled by regional and political tensions. The second, from 2010 to 2011, emerged after a disputed election, deepening divides among ethnic groups like the Ebrié, Baoulé and Dioula, and leaving over 3,000 dead. 

The drum would be silenced during colonial theft among the Ebrié people, mirroring the silencing of communities during these hard conflicts. However, the return of the Djidji Ayôkwé to Côte d’Ivoire offers a chance to restore that voice, a driving force for reconciliation. A community-led welcoming ceremony, created by Ebrié elders, young people, artists and historians, could mark its return with traditional music, rituals and storytelling, echoing the drum’s role as a communal voice. Once a unifying force for Ebrié people, the drum can most certainly symbolise peace again.

“By weaving the drum into education programmes, peacebuilding workshops or cultural festivals, Côte d’Ivoire can empower these groups to rebuild a shared national identity,” Gachanga said.

The Djidji Ayôkwé’s return is part of a broader movement to right colonial wrongs around looted artefacts, from Nigeria’s Benin Bronzes to China’s royal treasures. When artefacts are given voice, rather than sitting away behind a glass window, they can show how cultural heritage is a way into the present and not only a memory of the past.