Looted royal artefacts from the Asante kingdom are now available for public viewing at the Manhyia Museum in Kumasi after 150 years.
These artefacts, which include a ceremonial cap called Mpomponsuo adorned with gold ornaments, a sword of state, three cast gold soul-washers’ badges, and a gold peace pipe, were taken during the Anlo-Asante wars, particularly the Sagrenti War of 1874.
The items will be on loan for an initial three years and renewable for another three years.
Their return coincides with the silver jubilee of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II since his ascension to the Golden Stool.
The collection also includes seven sections of sheet-gold ornament, one silver straining spoon, one pair of silver anklets, and one section of sheet-gold ornament.
Among the returned artifacts is a gold lute-harp presented by the Asantehene Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich during an 1817 trade treaty.
Fifteen of these artefacts were returned by the British Museum (BM), with the remaining 17 coming from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).
At the homecoming ceremony of these looted artefacts, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II expressed that their return signifies the restoration of the Asante spirit.
“The items that came back are virtually the soul of the people of Asante. Not all of them have returned. But what we have here embodies the soul of Asante. Today is a day for Asantes and for the Black African continent. The spirit that we bore and share is back with us,”he said.
The Manhyia Museum, inaugurated by Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, was originally constructed as the first palace for Asantehene Nana Prempeh I in 1925 by the British.
It was intended to replace the royal palace destroyed during the Yaa Asantewaa War in 1900.
After being closed for three weeks, the museum has reopened to the public. Visitors can now explore photographic and regalia displays, lifelike mannequins depicting Asantehenes and Asantehemaas of the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as learn about the history of the Asante kingdom, including its interactions with the British.
Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK, Dr Tristam Hunt is upbeat about the potency of cultural exchanges.
“We acknowledge the very painful history surrounding the acquisition of these objects. A history tainted by the scars of imperial conflict and colonialism. These treasures have borne witness to triumph and trials of the great kingdom and their return to Kumasi is testament to the power of cultural exchange and reconciliation,” he said.
African countries, including Ghana, have been vocal about the return of looted items, and some have successfully regained ownership of precious historical artifacts in recent years.
Chief negotiator Ivor Agyemang-Duah disclosed that negotiations are ongoing for the return of around a hundred looted artifacts from various museums worldwide.
“We’re talking to some individual art collectors and institutions in South Africa, and also a couple of three leading museums and galleries in the UK. We have begun negotiations. I’ll be travelling to meet them for the first formal negotiations,” he revealed.