Ghana’s Asante king displays return of looted treasures

KUMASI – Ghana’s Asante King displayed for the first time dozens of royal artefacts looted during colonial rule after they were returned by British museums on a long-term loan as part of his silver jubilee celebrations.

The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum earlier this year agreed to give back 32 gold and silver treasures pillaged by British military forces from Asante leader Asantehene’s court during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante Wars.

They include the sword of the state known as Mpomponsuo and the gold badges of officials authorised to purify the king’s soul. The collection also features a gold lute harp presented by Asantehene Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich during an 1817 trade treaty.

Speaking at the event dubbed “Homecoming: adversity and commemoration,” King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said the first-ever exhibition of the artefacts at Manhyia Palace reflected the “soul of the Asante people.”

“(Though) not all have been returned, what we have here still embodies the soul of the Asantes,” the king said of the items looted in 1874.

“So, the spirit is back here, and today is a day for Asantes, a day for the black African continent, and the spirits are back with us again today.”

The Ghanaian King showcased the items in the refurbished Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the seat of the Asantehene kingdom. Each item offered visitors a rare glimpse into the splendour of Asante history and culture.

The exhibition will be opened to the public this week.

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