Britain and South Africa have returned to Asanti king Otumfuo Osei Tutu II over 130 gold and bronze artefacts looted between the 1870s and the early 20th century or bought on the open market.
Asanti king Otumfuo Osei Tutu II received the artefacts at the Manhyia Palace Museum in the Asante capital Kumasi this week.
The items included royal regalia, drums and ceremonial gold weights and depict governance systems, spiritual beliefs and the role of gold in Asante society.
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In 2024, the Manhyia Palace Museum received 67 restituted or loaned cultural objects from institutions including London’s British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles.
After Britain, the US sends looted royal artefacts to Ghana’s Ashanti King
South African mining company
At the ceremony, the Asante king thanked AngloGold Ashanti, a South African mining company, for returning several items purchased on the open market. The mining giant returned some artefacts to Ghana in 2024.
It reflected “goodwill and respect for the source and legacy of the Asante kingdom”, the monarch said.
Twenty-five other items were donated by British art historian Hermione Waterfield.
According to art historian and Manhyia Palace Museum director, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Waterfield’s gifts included a wooden drum believed to have been seized during the 1900 siege of Kumasi by British forces.
France formally hands back 26 looted artworks to Benin
Their return comes as pressure mounts on Western museums and institutions to address the restitution of African artefacts plundered during colonial times by Britain, France, Germany and Belgium.
(with AFP)
