Ghanaians are now over the moon at the moment as the United Kingdom (UK), returned looted artifacts of the West African country, including 32 gold and silver treasures.
The looted artifacts from the Asante kingdom are finally on display in Ghana, 150 years after British colonizers took them.
The artifacts, comprising 15 items from the British Museum and 17 from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), were looted from the court of the Asante king during the turbulent 19th-century clashes between the British and the Asante people.
Ghanaian authorities have for years tried to reclaim gold treasures looted by British soldiers from the Asante kingdom, which is also known as Ashanti.
The people of Ghana trooped to the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Asante region, to welcome the 32 items home.
“This is a day for Asante. A day for the Black African continent. The spirit we share is back,” said Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Meanwhile, at this stage, the items have only been loaned to Ghana for three years.
However, this loan can be extended.
The agreement is between two British museums – the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and British Museum – and the Asante king, not the Ghanaian government.
The Asante king, or Asantehene, is seen as a symbol of traditional authority and is believed to be invested with the spirits of his predecessors. But his kingdom is now part of Ghana’s modern democracy.
“Our dignity is restored,” Henry Amankwaatia, a retired police commissioner and proud Asante, told the BBC, over the hum of jubilant drumming.
Ivor Agyeman-Duah, the chief negotiator also confirmed the items’ return, telling the AFP news agency that they were given to the palace on loan.
It comes as international momentum and campaigning have grown for museums and institutions to have African artifacts returned from former colonial powers.
The Looted Artefacts From UK
The returned items include a 300-year-old sword of state also called the ‘mpompomsuo’ sword used in swearing-in ceremonies and it holds great significance for the Asante people. It serves as a sword of office that is used in swearing the oath of office to the kingdom by paramount chiefs and the king himself.
A gold peace pipe and gold discs worn by officials responsible for cleansing the king’s soul are also among 17 items the V&A plans to lend to the Ghanaian museum.
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Others include; an elephant tail whisk, an ornamental chair made of wood, leather, and iron, two gold stool ornaments, a gold necklace, and two bracelets.
“These treasures have borne witness to triumph and trials of the great kingdom and their return to Kumasi is a testament to the power of cultural exchange and reconciliation,” said Dr Hunt.
Objects selected from the British Museum consist mainly of royal regalia looted from the palace in Kumasi during the Anglo-Asante wars.
The items will be loaned under two separate three-year agreements.
Meanwhile, Royal historian Osei-Bonsu Safo-Kantanka told the BBC that when the items were taken from the Asante it took away “a portion of our heart, our feeling, our whole being”.
Under UK law, national museums like the V&A and British Museum are banned from permanently giving back contested items in their collections, and loan deals such as this are seen as a way to allow objects to return to their countries of origin.
Some countries laying claim to disputed artifacts fear that loans may be used to imply they accept the UK’s ownership.
Many Ghanaians feel the ornaments should remain permanently. However, this new arrangement is a way to overcome British legal restrictions.
What You Need To Know
After decades of resistance from European and Western governments and museums, the efforts of African countries to repatriate stolen artifacts are paying off with the increasing return of treasured pieces. Activists, though, say thousands more are still out of reach.
This is coming after they have repeatedly called for the return of looted items with some regaining ownership over precious historical artefacts in recent years.
Nigeria is also negotiating the return of thousands of 16th to 18th-century metal objects looted from the ancient kingdom of Benin and currently held by museums and art collectors across the United States and Europe.
Two years ago, Benin received two dozen treasures and artworks stolen in 1892 by French colonial forces during the sacking of the royal Palace of Abomey.
In 2022 Germany gave back over 1,000 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. The German foreign minister said at the time it was a step in dealing with a “dark colonial history”.
