France returns a sacred drum looted during the colonial era to Ivory Coast

France has returned a looted sacred talking drum to Ivory Coast, marking the first official restitution of precious artifacts from France to the west African nation after they were looted during the colonial era

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- France returned a sacred talking drum looted during the colonial period to Ivory Coast on Friday as part of a nearly decade-old effort by the French government to return cultural artifacts to African nations.

It was the first such return by France to Ivory Coast, and was part of a broader campaign among European and Western governments to return treasured objects after decades of resistance.

The Djidji Ayôkwé, a massive carved wooden drum once used by the Atchan people of the Abidjan region to communicate between villages, was looted by French colonial authorities in 1916 and is among at least 140 looted artifacts Ivory Coast has asked France to return.

“This is a historic day and a moment of justice and remembrance,” Ivory Coast Culture Minister Françoise Remarck said at an event to receive the artifact at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport.

The wooden drum — whose name means “panther-lion” — measures about 11.5 feet (138 inches) long and weighs roughly 950 pounds. Historians say it played a key role in warning villages about forced labor recruitment organized by colonial authorities.