A sacred talking drum seized from Côte d’Ivoire in 1916 arrived in Abidjan on Friday, completing the first official restitution of a cultural artifact from France to the country after more than 100 years.

The Djidji Ayokwé landed at Felix Houphouet-Boigny International Airport, where a reception ceremony was presided over by Culture Minister Françoise Remarck.

She described the moment as “a moment of justice and memory, marking the return of the Djidji Ayokwé to its land of origin after more than a century of absence.”

The transfer follows the signing of an ownership transfer agreement on Feb. 20 at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris between French and Ivorian authorities.

The French Senate unanimously adopted a bill in April 2025 authorizing the drum’s return, the first application of France’s restitution framework to Côte d’Ivoire.

The drum will be held in a secure facility during an acclimatization period before its official presentation and installation at the Musée des Civilisations de Côte d’Ivoire.

The return sits within a broader continental shift. More than 90% of sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural heritage remains outside the continent, largely in Western museums.

France returned 26 royal treasures to Benin in 2021, and the Netherlands transferred 119 objects to Nigeria in June 2025, the largest single restitution to date.

UNESCO, through its 1970 Convention and ongoing advocacy, has long emphasized the importance of returning cultural property to its countries of origin, framing restitutions like those to Benin, Nigeria and now Côte d’Ivoire as part of a broader movement for heritage justice.

For the Atchan communities to whom the drum belongs, the return represents a long-awaited restoration of cultural heritage.

Community spokesperson Chief Gouedan Jacques said the drum “which was torn from the community is the one that will find its land again.”