The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has welcomed the return of 130 gold and bronze artefacts looted between the 1870s and the early 20th century from institutions in the United Kingdom and South Africa, marking a significant step toward restoring Ghana’s cultural heritage and strengthening global conversations around restitution.
According to BBC, the items included royal regalia, drums and ceremonial gold weights, dating back to the 1870s – and reveal the cultural role gold played in Asante society.
Twenty-five of the pieces were donated by British art historian Hermione Waterfield and the rest by South African mining company AngloGold Ashanti. Handing over the pieces at a ceremony at the Manhyia Palace, in the city of Kumasi, officials from AngloGold Ashanti said the gesture was made as an act of cultural respect and reconciliation. There have been tensions in the central Ashanti region between AngloGold Ashanti and residents, who have accused the company of exploiting mineral resources without doing much to develop the area or create jobs.
Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II thanked AngloGold Ashanti for voluntarily returning artefacts legitimately acquired on open markets. It reflected “goodwill and respect for the source and legacy of the Asante kingdom”, the monarch said. The reception took place on Sunday, according to a statement released after the event from the palace. Ms Waterfield was a pioneering figure and curator at Christie’s auction house in London and took a special interest in African art, establishing a department that focused on tribal art in the 1970s. She has long been a supporter of West African art restitution.
According to Manhyia Palace Museum director Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Ms Waterfield’s gifts included a wooden drum looted during the 1900 siege of Kumasi by British colonial forces. British soldiers were involved in a series of conflicts in the late 19th Century in what were called the Anglo-Asante wars. The palace of the king, or Asantehene, was plundered twice. The call by African countries for the return of looted items has been met with some success in recent years – though some items are only on loan.
Last year, 32 looted artefacts went on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum as part of a three-year loan agreement between two British museums – the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and British Museum – and the Asante king. In 2022, Germany was the first country to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria in a bid to deal with its “dark colonial history”. They were looted by British troops in 1897 from the West African kingdom of Benin, in modern-day Nigeria’s Edo state – and many were auctioned off in London and are in collections all over the world.
