France has handed over the Djidji Ayokwe or "talking drum" back to Côte d'Ivoire after it was looted by colonial troops in 1916. Used by the Ebrie tribe to transmit messages, the drum is one of hundreds of objects France is preparing to repatriate to Africa.

France on Friday handed over a "talking drum" looted by colonial troops from Côte d'Ivoire in 1916 in the latest repatriation of stolen artefacts.

The Djidji Ayokwe drum, more than three metres long and weighing 430 kilos was used by the Ebrie tribe to transmit messages.

It is one of hundreds of objects looted by France during the reign of its colonial empire, from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century that France is preparing to send back to Africa.

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Last July French MPs unanimously adopted legislation to authorise mass repatriations. The new law was approved in the Senate last month.

French Senate adopts bill to return colonial-era art

Return of a symbol

"All of Côte d'Ivoire is ready to welcome it," Ivorian Culture Minister Françoise Remarck said at a ceremony in Paris with her French counterpart Rachida Dati.

Remarck added that she was "extremely moved" by the "return of this symbol" that is "finally coming back to its homeland".

The drum is to be exhibited permanently in a new museum being built in the Ivorian commercial capital Abidjan.

France has been flooded with restitution demands from former colonies such as Algeria, Mali, and Benin.

The restitution of looted artworks to Africa is one of the highlights of the "new relationship" Macron wanted to establish with the continent.

In 2023, France adopted two so-called framework laws to return objects in two categories: one for goods looted from Jewish families during World War II, and another for the repatriation of human remains from public collections.

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(with newswires)