Following successful negotiations between the UK and the king of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II, the UK is set to return some 32 artefacts looted from the Asante Kingdom, including the Asante Gold, on a 3-year loan.
Two leading museums in the UK—the British Museum is lending 15 artefacts from its collection and 17 are from the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A).
According to the BBC, a gold peace pipe is among the 32 items returning under long-term loan deals.
The loan deal has become necessary due to a law that bans some major UK museums, including the British Museum and V&A, from “permanently giving back contested items in their collections and loan deals such as this are seen as a way to allow objects to return to their countries of origin.”
However, some countries disputing the return of their looted cultural artefacts fear the loan deals “may be used to imply they accept the UK’s ownership.”
The director of the V&A, Tristram Hunt, reportedly noted, “It doesn’t seem to me that all of our museums will fall down if we build up these kinds of partnerships and exchanges.”
Mr. Hunt believed that the UK holding on to looted artefacts renders the Kingdom responsible for the countries of origin of the items.
“When museums hold objects with origins in war and looting in military campaigns, we have a responsibility to the countries of origin to think about how we can share those more fairly today,” said Mr. Hunt.
However, Mr Hunt insisted the new cultural partnership “is not restitution by the back door,” which means it is not a way to return permanent ownership to Ghana.
The three-year loan agreements, with an option to extend for a further three years, are not with the Ghanaian government but with Otumfo Osei Tutu II.
Ghana’s chief negotiator told the BBC, “He hoped for a new sense of cultural co-operation after generations of anger.”
These artefacts are believed not to be just mere items but to embody the spiritual powers and influence of traditional authorities in the country of origin.
Special adviser to the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nana Oforiatta Ayim, told the BBC: “They’re not just objects, they have spiritual importance as well. They are part of the soul of the nation. It’s pieces of ourselves returning.”
She said the loan was “a good starting point” on the anniversary of the looting and “a sign of some kind of healing and commemoration for the violence that happened.”
UK museums hold many more items taken from Ghana, including a gold trophy head among the most famous pieces of Asante regalia.
The Asante Kingdom established what was once one of the strongest and most threatening nations in West Africa. They traded in textiles, gold, and human slaves, among other things.
Stories of wealth in Africa drew Europeans to what they later called the Gold Coast, and during the 19th century, Britain engaged in frequent warfare with the Asante.
British forces mounted a “punitive expedition” in 1874 in response to an Asante raid, ransacking Kumasi and stealing numerous palace artefacts.
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