{"id":119590,"date":"2025-08-11T15:04:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T15:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/08\/11\/cote-divoires-sacred-talking-drum-is-coming-home-lessons-from-kenya-on-how-it-could-transform-lives\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T15:04:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T15:04:48","slug":"cote-divoires-sacred-talking-drum-is-coming-home-lessons-from-kenya-on-how-it-could-transform-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/cote-divoires-sacred-talking-drum-is-coming-home-lessons-from-kenya-on-how-it-could-transform-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s sacred talking drum is coming home: lessons from Kenya on how it could transform\u00a0lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

Timothy Gachanga<\/a>, Kenyatta University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The French parliament has unanimously passed a law<\/a> to return the Djidji Ay\u00f4kw\u00e9<\/a>, a sacred talking drum stolen by colonial forces from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire in 1916.<\/p>\n

Once used by the Ebri\u00e9<\/a> people in the coastal south of the country to summon gatherings, announce royal messages and anchor community identity, the large wooden carved drum will soon be back home. There it will not just be a relic, but a vessel of collective memory and dignity.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a teacher of peace and conflict studies whose research<\/a> often focuses on the role of museums and art exhibitions in helping bring unity. As a participant and project manager in Kenya\u2019s 2013 Journeys of Peace exhibition, I analysed how the cultural artefacts on the exhibition could bridge divides and foster reconciliation in communities. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QBEE_DADQHE?wmode=transparent&start=0 Ivorian delegation to Paris conducts a libation ceremony ahead of the drum\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

In C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, a nation scarred by civil wars, the Djidji Ay\u00f4kw\u00e9 can become a powerful symbol of peace, helping heal ethnic and political wounds. By applying lessons from Kenya\u2019s exhibition, I argue that this drum\u2019s return could transform a moment of restitution into a movement for reconciliation.<\/p>\n

Cultural heritage, rooted in the past, wields profound power in the present to shape a shared future.<\/p>\n

Journeys of Peace<\/h2>\n

Journeys of Peace was organised by Kenya\u2019s Community Peace Museums Heritage Foundation and the Swedish non-governmental organisation Cultural Heritage Without Borders. In the course of touring with the exhibition, I witnessed the power of cultural artefacts \u2013 stools, gourds, fly whisks, women\u2019s belts \u2013 to mend fractured communities.<\/p>\n

These traditional objects were deliberately chosen for their cultural significance and their ability to resonate with local communities. They were traditional everyday items imbued with symbolic meaning, representing shared heritage and identity. Their role lay in their ability to prompt dialogue and reconciliation. In the course of a year, the travelling exhibition reached over 4,000 people in rural Kenya, turning the objects into tools for community dialogue.<\/p>\n

In Pokot in western Kenya, where there has been frequent conflict over the theft of cattle, I witnessed elders use artefacts like those featured in the exhibition to hold peace vigils, reconciling two warring communities, Pokot and Tugen, divided by cattle rustling.<\/p>\n

In Samburu, a community in the North Rift region that has a history of inter-ethnic conflicts between pastoralist communities competing for grazing land, warriors traded guns for walking staffs. They embraced peace through their heritage. These moments showed me that cultural objects are not relics but living anchors for identity and healing.<\/p>\n

So, we didn\u2019t just display artefacts; we let them live. Communities touched them, shared their stories, and used them to confront painful issues \u2013 ethnic violence, land disputes, even female genital mutilation.<\/p>\n

In Machakos, a region in the eastern part of Kenya, a student\u2019s words struck me:<\/p>\n

I never knew we shared so much with our neighbours. This has rekindled my faith in humanity.<\/p>\n

The artefacts sparked empathy and trust, leading to tangible outcomes: returned livestock, reopened markets, and partnerships with local governments.<\/p>\n

The Djidji Ay\u00f4kw\u00e9 and civil war<\/h2>\n

The Djidji Ay\u00f4kw\u00e9 holds similar promise for C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, a nation still healing from two devastating civil wars.<\/p>\n

The first, from 2002 to 2007, pitted northern rebels against southern government forces. It was fuelled by ethnic and regional tensions. The second, from 2010 to 2011, erupted after a disputed election, leaving over 3,000 dead and deepening divides among ethnic groups like the Ebri\u00e9, Baoul\u00e9 and Dioula.<\/p>\n

The drum, a sacred voice for the Ebri\u00e9, was silenced during colonial theft, mirroring the silencing of communities during these conflicts. Its return offers a chance to restore that voice, fostering unity and reconciliation as we saw in the Kenyan exhibition.<\/p>\n

The drum, once a unifying force for Ebri\u00e9 gatherings, can symbolise peace. A community-led welcoming ceremony, co-created by Ebri\u00e9 elders, young people, artists and historians, could mark its return with rituals, music and storytelling, echoing its role as a communal voice. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zLRhfrHg6NQ?wmode=transparent&start=102 The ceremony at the Mus\u00e9e du quai Branly.<\/p>\n

Dialogues about its significance, its songs, silences and stories could help bridge ethnic divides, inviting groups like the Baoul\u00e9 and Dioula to share in the healing process. Exhibitions like Journeys of Peace could bring the drum to conflict-affected regions, integrating oral histories and performances to make it a living emblem of peace. These spaces could address lingering tensions from the civil wars, such as land disputes or mistrust between communities.<\/p>\n

Inclusivity, a cornerstone of Journeys of Peace, is vital for C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. Women, often cultural custodians, and young people, who grew up in war\u2019s aftermath, must be central to such efforts.<\/p>\n

By weaving the drum into education programmes, peacebuilding workshops or cultural festivals, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire can empower these groups to rebuild a shared national identity. As we learned in Kenya, when communities engage with their heritage \u2013 touching, listening, contributing \u2013 their sense of agency grows, fostering reconciliation across divides.<\/p>\n

Repatriation for healing and empowerment<\/h2>\n

The Djidji Ay\u00f4kw\u00e9\u2019s return is part of a broader movement to right colonial wrongs around looted artefacts, from Nigeria\u2019s Benin Bronzes to Ethiopia\u2019s royal treasures.<\/p>\n

Journeys of Peace taught me that repatriation is about more than returning objects. It\u2019s about restoring their power to transform lives.<\/p>\n

Participating in the exhibition showed me that cultural heritage is a force for the present, not just a memory of the past. In Kenya, we learned that when artefacts are given voice, they do more than recall who we were. They show us who we can be.<\/p>\n

Timothy Gachanga<\/a>, Lecturer, Kenyatta University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timothy Gachanga, Kenyatta University The French parliament has unanimously passed a law to return the Djidji Ay\u00f4kw\u00e9, a sacred talking drum stolen by colonial forces from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire in 1916. Once used by the Ebri\u00e9 people in the coastal south of the country to summon gatherings, announce royal messages and anchor community identity, the large […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119590\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}