France returns sacred talking drum looted from Côte d’Ivoire over 100 years ago

France has returned the Djidji Ayôkwé, a sacred talking drum looted from Côte d'Ivoire by French colonial authorities in 1916, in one of the most significant cultural restitutions to a former French colony in recent years. The artefact was handed to Ivorian officials in Paris and subsequently flown to Abidjan's Port Bouët airport. The restitution marks a notable step in France's broader reckoning with its colonial heritage.