France Returns Looted Talking Drum to Côte d’Ivoire

france returns looted talking drum cote divoire 1234774221

France has officially returned the Djidji Ayôkwé, a historic "talking drum," to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire during a ceremony at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. The 940-pound artifact, which was used by the Atchan people to communicate across distances and warn of colonial troop movements, was seized by French authorities in 1916 to suppress local resistance. After decades in French collections, the drum is being transferred to the Museum of Civilizations in Abidjan following a specific vote by the French parliament.

french senate passes colonial art bill 1234771450

The French Senate has unanimously passed a bill to streamline the process of returning artworks and artifacts looted from former colonies during the colonial era. The legislation, which now moves to the National Assembly for final approval, specifically targets items acquired between 1815 and 1972, aiming to remove legal hurdles that have previously required a separate parliamentary vote for each object's restitution.

how louvre thieves evaded police senate hearing 1234766068

A French Senate hearing revealed that Louvre security failures allowed thieves to steal $102 million in French crown jewels from the Apollo Gallery in October, with officials stating that the escape could have been prevented if exterior camera footage had been monitored in real time. Noël Corbin of the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs and Pascal Mignerey of the Security, Safety and Audit Mission testified that a 2019 security audit by Van Cleef & Arpels identifying gallery weaknesses was not transmitted to new leadership under director Laurence des Cars, contributing to the heist.