Drumka Quduuska ah ee Djidji Ayokwe oo ku soo laabtay tuulada ay ka dhalatay ee Ivory Coast
Drumka 'la hadla' ee Djidji Ayokwe, oo ay ciidamadii gumaystaha Faransiiska xadeen 1916kii, ayaa ku laabtay tuuladiisa Ivory Coast ee Adjame Jimcihii 8da Agoosto 2026. Xafladda soo dhaweynta waxaa loo qabtay maalinta la shaqeeyo ee qaranka, waxaana soo kala hortagay wasiirka dhaqanka iyo hoggaamiyayaasha dhaqanka.
Drumka iyo Taariikhdiisa
Djidji Ayokwe waa drum quduus ah oo ay qabiilka Ebrie u isticmaali jireen gudbinta farriimaha, waana wax ka badan qalab muusig maadaama loo isticmaali jiray digniinta khatarta, gaar ahaan gumaystayaasha, baaqista dagaal ama isu imaatin. Wuxuu dhererkiisu ka badan yahay seddex mitir (10 feet) wuxuuna miisaankiisu yahay 430 kiiloogaraam.
Ciidankii Faransiiska ayaa xaday 1916kii ka dibna loo diray Yurub 1929kii, waxaana lagu soo bandhigay Paris tobanaan sano. Ivory Coast waxay codsatay celinta 2018kii dambe iyadoo ka mid ah 148 farshaxan oo xilligii gumaystaha laga qaaday. Waxaa rasmiya laga dhiibay Febraayo, Marchna ku soo laabtay diyaarad gaar ah.
Sida Xafladda loo Qabtay
Jimcihkii, drumka waxaa loo maray dhoolley ciidan oo dhex maray degmada Yopougon ee Abidjan, ka dibna loo sii waday tuulada Adjame ee la sameeyay. Waxaa soo dhaweeyay Wasiirka Dhaqanka Francoise Remarck, hoggaamiyayaasha dhaqanka iyo boqolley dad deegaan ah.
Daraadii qaar ayaa sameeyay xaflad libation ah oo dhowr dhibic oo dareere ah dhulka ku shubay si ay ugu allabari bixiyaan awoowayaashood. Duqa Adjame Farikou Soumahoro wuxuu yiri: 'Ummad ma horumari kartoo haddii aysan ilaalinayn xusuuskeeda oo kor u qaadayso hidahaheeda'.
Macnaha Guud iyo Mustaqbalka
Drumka wuxuu ku imaanayaa matxafka Civilisations ee Abidjan oo si gaar ah loo dayactiray. Waa mid ka mid ah boqolley farshaxan oo Paris ay diyaarinayso inay ku celiso Afrika, iyadoo sharciga Faransiiska ee May la ansixiyay uu caawinayo. Senegal iyo Benin ayaa sidoo kale codsaday soo celinta khasaarahooda.
Soo celinta alaabta dhaqanka ee laga qaaday gumeysigii hore ee Afrika iyo meelaha kale waa arrin xasaasi ah, iyadoo matxafyada, hay'adaha iyo ururinta Yurub iyo Maraykanka ay cadaadis ku hayaan inay soo celiyaan. Tani waxay muujinaysaa baahida loo qabo midnimada hidaha.
On Friday, August 8, 2026, the Djidji Ayokwe, a sacred talking drum looted by French colonial troops in 1916, was welcomed home to its village of Adjame in Ivory Coast during a ceremony held on the country's national independence day holiday.
A Historic Homecoming for a Centuries-Old Drum
The Djidji Ayokwe, an imposing wooden drum more than three metres long and weighing 430 kilogrammes, was officially handed over in February before arriving in Ivory Coast in March aboard a specially chartered plane. It was not taken out of its crate until Friday, when it was carried in a military parade through the Yopougon district of Abidjan before continuing to Adjame, where it was originally made.
The instrument, which is black, white and red, was transported in a glass-fronted case on a large, decorated float and welcomed by Culture Minister Francoise Remarck, traditional leaders and hundreds of local residents. A dozen people performed a libation ceremony, pouring a few drops of liquid onto the ground as an offering to their ancestors.
Community Voices on Heritage and Identity
Adjame mayor Farikou Soumahoro said, 'A nation cannot develop if it doesn't preserve its memory and promote its heritage,' expressing deep emotion and great pride at the event. Jacqueline Akrebie, a 69-year-old villager, told AFP, 'We want to see the drum with our own eyes so we can truly believe it belongs to us.'
Traditional leader Cyriaque Ahoure, 63, said he had come to share a moment of great joy when remembering their ancestors. The drum was used by the Ebrie community to warn of danger, particularly from colonialists, call to war or summon villagers to ceremonies, making its return deeply symbolic.
Broader Push for Repatriation of Stolen Artefacts
Ivory Coast had asked in late 2018 for the return of the Djidji Ayokwe among 148 works of art taken during the colonial period. It is one of hundreds of stolen artefacts Paris is preparing to send back to Africa, aided by the approval in May of a new French law.
Senegal and Benin have also asked for the repatriation of their treasures. The return of cultural artefacts taken from ex-colonies in Africa and elsewhere has become a sensitive issue, with museums, institutions and collectors in Europe and the United States facing pressure to give them back.
