The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have announced a long-term agreement to loan gold and silver treasures taken from West Africa by the British army during colonial wars to Ghana.
Under the arrangement, 17 objects from the Victoria and Albert Museum and 15 objects from the British Museum will be displayed later this year at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Asante region. The objects are a part of a collection called Asante regalia.
These objects have not been seen in Ghana for 150 years. Most of the artefacts involved in the agreement are linked to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the current Asante king. These artefacts were taken from Kumasi during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante conflicts. Some were obtained as part of an indemnity payment forcibly taken from the Asante king at the time. The collection also includes a gold lute harp given to the British diplomat Thomas Bowdich during a trade treaty in 1817 and a “soul disk,” which the Asante king wore to protect his soul, as well as a peace pipe and seven sections of sheet-gold ornaments.
These artefacts represent only a small portion of the items currently held in the U.K. The British Museum alone is said to have 239 items of Asante regalia in its collection.
The collaboration with the Ghanaian museum follows a visit to London by Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, also known as the Asantehene, who attended the coronation of King Charles. During his visit, he engaged with the leaders of the London museums, initiating talks that led to months of negotiations regarding the possible repatriation of Ghana’s significant cultural artefacts.
Nana Oforiatta Ayim, Special Adviser to Ghana’s culture minister, said the deal was a “starting point,” given British laws that prohibit the return of cultural artefacts. But ultimately the regalia should be returned to its rightful owners.
Global demand to return artefacts
Countries such as India, Nigeria, Egypt, and Greece, along with indigenous communities spanning from North America to Australia, are calling for the return of artefacts and human remains as part of a worldwide reevaluation of colonialism and the exploitation of indigenous populations.
Recently, Germany has agreed to return hundreds of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria. Benin Bronzes is a collection of sculptures, cast plaques, and royal artefacts originating from the West African kingdom of Benin, dating back to the 16th century. This agreement followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to return 26 pieces, referred to as the Abomey Treasures, which are artworks from the 19th-century Dahomey kingdom, located in present-day Benin, a country west of Nigeria.
U.K. museums have been slow to respond to restitution requests, citing a Victorian law that prevents them from removing and disposing of objects from their collections. Their contested collections include the Parthenon sculptures, which Greece has long campaigned to return to Athens; the Benin bronzes, which are the subject of a similar demand by Nigeria; and the Asante gold, amongst others.
Britain’s new policy?
Some museum officials in the UK often argue that the objects were acquired legally and that institutions like the British Museum have long preserved them in an environment where they can be seen and studied by people from around the world.
Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, commented on the return of Asante gold, “As part of our commitment to sharing collections with a colonial past, we are excited to see these items on public show, in Ghana, as part of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s silver jubilee celebrations”, as reported by the Guardian.
He further stated the three-year loan deal with the Asante King was not restitution by the back door, “We have a responsibility to the countries of origin to think about how we can share those more fairly today. It doesn’t seem to me that all of our museums will fall down if we build up these kind of partnerships and exchanges.”
This brings up the question, is this Britain’s way to pacify countries while still maintaining its position as the caretaker of heritage?
Recently, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, repeated calls for the return of the Parthenon after a diplomatic spat with the UK government last year. Greece has consistently urged the museum to repatriate the sculptures dating back 2,500 years, which British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century. The museum’s trustees have expressed willingness to loan the marbles to Greece, on the condition that Athens formally recognises its ownership of the sculptures.