In a historic development, Ghana has successfully secured a six-year loan agreement for the return of gold and silver treasures looted from the Ashanti Kingdom during colonial wars, chief negotiator Ivor Agyeman-Duah told The Africa Report.
The deal is the result of nine months of negotiations to reunite the Asante royal court’s precious regalia with the people of Ghana as the Asantehene (Asante king), Otumfuo Osei Tutu II prepares to celebrate his 25-year milestone on the throne in April.
“We expect the objects in Ghana by May or April,” Agyeman-Duah, who’s also a Ghanaian historian and advisor to the king, disclosed regarding the 32 items.
A total of 17 pieces from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and 15 from the British Museum will be showcased at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, offering Ghanaians a rare glimpse of cultural treasures that have been absent from their homeland for 150 years.
The artifacts set to be lent – the majority of which were looted during conflicts between the British and the Asante in the 19th century – comprise an array of significant items such as an Asante gold ring, a sword of state known as Mpomponsuo, gold badges worn by officials tasked with the sacred duty of purifying the king’s soul, and a gold lute-harp presented to British diplomat Thomas Bowdich during a trade treaty in 1817.
The Anglo-Asante War
The British empire conquered the powerful Ashanti Kingdom in 1874 after several wars in what is today Ghana. The palace of the then-Asantehene Otumfuo Nana Kofi Karikari and the private homes of other royals were ransacked.
Some of the items stolen were masks and busts made from pure gold, necklaces, bracelets of gold, coral ornaments, swords, caps mounted in solid gold, knives set in gold and silver, bags of gold dust and nuggets, sandals and stools set in gold, carved stools mounted in silver, calabashes worked in silver and gold, among many other priceless items.
The gesture of returning these treasures to Ghana is not only a symbolic act of reconciliation but also a tangible step towards acknowledging and rectifying the historical injustices of colonial-era looting.
In an interview with the BBC, Angus Patterson, a senior curator at the V&A, said that seizing these items in the 19th century was not solely driven by the pursuit of wealth, although that aspect played a role. According to him, it was also a deliberate political act aimed at eliminating symbols of government and authority.
For Agyeman-Duah, “it’s a very significant moment for Ghanaians as these objects will be part of an exhibition and they will be here at least for the next six years.”
The reigning Asante king is hoping to receive the items that have been kept at the museum to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the third Anglo-Asante war and his year-long Silver Jubilee celebration.
Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, in a joint statement expressed pride in the collaboration with the Manhyia Palace Museum. “150 years after the attack on Kumasi and looting of court regalia, the V&A is proud to be partnering with the Manhyia Palace Museum to display this important collection of Asante gold work.”
Restrictions
Hunt highlighted the commitment of major UK museums, including the British Museum and V&A, to share collections with a colonial past. However, permanent restitution remains restricted by legislation, prompting these institutions to opt for temporary loans.
This comes with conditions, including paying insurance to a selected British insurance firm for the looted artifacts, paying for the transportation and courier costs, crating and packing materials, and photographing the condition of the pieces, according to the museum’s website.
Agyeman-Duah said that while the Manhyia Palace would have wished to keep the objects, it is conscious of British antiquity laws and how the former colonial power would want to preserve its history.
“It’s not about revenue… It’s linked more to the history and the imperial status that Britain has always been,” he said. “They feel that if they give these things out [permanently] they’ll lose part of their own history of colonial past of imperial rule.”
Ghanaian monarchical historian and teacher Osei-Bonsu Safo-Kantanka shed light on the spiritual and historical benefits that these artifacts would bring to the Asante people, saying that these treasures are not just historical relics.
“They hold immense spiritual significance for the Asante people,” he said, adding that “their return will serve as a powerful symbol of cultural resilience and the reclamation of our heritage.”
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