Once used to transmit warning messages up to thirty kilometres around villages, the Djidji Ayokwe drum is emblematic of Ivorian culture and identity. But in 1916, it was confiscated by the French colonial administration. Damaged by the weather during its long years spent in the governor's garden, the monumental work which weighs 430 kilos and measures three metres, was transferred to Paris in 1930. The "talking drum" has been restored in a workshop in the Paris region, under the aegis of the Quai Branly Museum. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES