France to Return Côte d’Ivoire’s ‘Facebook Drum’ After Over a Century

In a historic step toward reckoning with its colonial past, France has approved the return of the Ayôkwé Djidji ‘talking drum’ to Côte d’Ivoire. The massive 430-kilo drum, seized by colonial forces in 1916 from the Ebrié people, once served as a powerful tool of long-distance communication. After being housed in the Musée du Quai Branly in France, the drum will now return home following approval by the French Parliament. President Emmanuel Macron, who pledged the drum’s return in 2021, sees such restitutions as key to redefining France’s relationship with Africa. For the Ebrié, the drum’s return is more than symbolic—it is the recovery of a cultural loudspeaker, once likened to their “Facebook,” finally beating again for its people.

Le Monde