The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK have returned 32 royal objects to Ghana, which were taken from the Kumasi Palace during the Anglo-Asante Wars in the 19th century. These items, which include gold and silver regalia associated with the Asante royal court, will be on display at the Palace Museum as part of a long-term loan agreement between the museums and the Palace.
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The returned items include 15 pieces from the British Museum and 17 from the Victoria and Albert Museum, and will be on display for an initial three years, with the option to renew for another three. This return is significant as it marks the first time many of these items will be seen in Ghana in 150 years.
The returned objects will be part of an international exhibition titled “Homecoming- Adversity and Commemoration,” which will be opened to the public on May 1, 2024.
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The exhibition is being curated by a team of British and Ghanaian curators, and will feature objects from the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as objects from the Manhyia Palace and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
The exhibition will be attended by directors, curators, and trustees of the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as journalists and photographers from various media outlets. The occasion will also see the launch of two books, “A History of Manhyia Palace Museum- Inaugural and Other Objects” and “Images of Ghana- Museums, the Ownership of Cultural Property and Restitution.”
The return of these objects is part of a larger cultural engagement initiative by the Asantehene, which includes new paradigms for restitution with British organizations and others.
The Asantehene will also give a public lecture on Asante Culture and Heritage in London in July 2024, as part of an evolving cooperation in international cultures and mutual technical and business development.
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