Two musuems in London agree to loan looted Asante items back to Ghana.

The British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum in London have agreed to loan a series of artefacts, mostly looted from the Asante Kingdom in the nineteenth century, back to a museum in Kumasi, Ghana, for three years, to mark the Silver Jubilee of the current Asantehene (Asante King), Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. The loans come about following a visit to London by the Asantehene in 2023, in which he spoke to leaders at both museums, as well as the British King Charles III. National museums in the UK (including the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum) are currently banned from giving up ownership of objects, even where it is known their provenance is problematic, something which could only be changed by act of parliament (something the current British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has stated he is opposed to doing). However, the leadership of both museums have expressed that they would not object to the loan of the objects being extended beyond three years.

Asante ceremonial cap ('denkyemkye') made of antelope hide and featuring antelope fur alongside twenty gold-covered ornaments (with wood cores) and cockle shells. Looted from the royal palace, Kumasi, by British forces during the Anglo-Asante War, 1895–6. This formed part of official government loot. British Museum.

The oldest item in the British Museum's collection, and one of the items being loaned to Ghana, is a small gold ornament in the form of a lute-harp (sankuo), which was presented to the British diplomat Thomas Bowdich by the Asantehene Osei Bonsu during trade negotiations in 1817. Bowdich reported that the Asantehene intended the item for the British Museum, where it could serve to represent the wealth and status of the Asante nation.

A small gold ornament in the form of a lute-harp (sankuo), presented to the  British diplomat Thomas Bowdich in 1817. British Museum.

The rest of the items in the collections have a darker history. In 1874 the British Army invaded the Asante Kingdom, following a dispute over the ownership of the Port of Elmina, sacked Kumasi, deposed the Asantehene Kofi Karikari, and forced him to pay 'indemnity' for the cost of invading his kingdom. The British Museum acquired three separate collections of artefacts known or believed to have been taken during the campaign of 1974. The first of these was a collection of 24 items obtained from the London goldsmiths R & S Garrard & Co., who had been appointed to sell items surrendered in indemnity by Kofi Karikari. A further 89 items were obtained from the Crown Agents for the Colonies in 1876, although it is unclear whether these were taken as 'indemnity' or simply looted.  In the same year, two Asante items were obtained from Phillips Brothers, another goldsmiths, again with no clear history.

Silver-gilt dish, made by Garrard's, London, in 1874, containing in the centre an Asante star-shaped pendant made of gold that inspired the European decoration around it. The gold pendant formed part of the gold indemnity forcibly extracted by British forces from the deposed Asantehene Kofi Karikari in 1874. An inscription on the back of the dish records that the Asante disc was 'a portion of the indemnity paid' by the Asante King to the British forces led by General Sir Garnet Wolseley. British Museum.

The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired thirteen items in an auction of gold looted by the British Army from Kumasi in 1874, all of which are thought to have been part of the Asante Royal Regalia. These include a gold peace pipe, three cast gold soul-washers’ badges, seven sections of sheet-gold ornament, a silver straining spoon, and a pair of silver anklets. Two further items were obtained separately, another section of sheet-gold ornament purchased from a military family in 1874, and another cast gold soul-washer’s badge purchased in 1883 from an unknown source. 

An Asante gold ornament, looted from Kumasi in 1874. Victoria and Albert Museum.

In 1895-1896, the British invaded Kumasi again, deposing the Asantehene Prempeh I, and forcing him to  sign over his kingdom to the 'protection' of the British Crown, and sending him into exile in the Seychelles with a number of senior Asante nobles. This military campaign was again associated with extensive looting. The British Museum received a collection of about 300 Asante objects from the Government of the Gold Coast (the colonial name for Ghana) following the 1896 confict, including silver and gold items, glass beads and amuletic jewellery. It is known that at least some of these items were looted, although the provenance of many items was not recorded.

Asante state sword (afena) with cast iron blade and carved wooden bar-bell-shaped hilt covered with gold leaf. Taken from the royal palace, Kumasi, by British forces during Anglo-Asante war, 1895–6, and formed part of official government loot. British Museum.

In 1900 the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Hodgson, demanded to be allowed to sit on the Golden Stool of the Asantehene during a visit to Kumasi. This object was (and is) considered sacred by the Asante people, with legend claiming that it was sent down from the heavens as a symbol of the authority of the Asantehene, and only the reigning Asantehene is allowed to touch it. Sir Frederick Hodgson's demand prompted an uprising in Kumasi led by the Queen Mother, Yaa Asantewaa. Although this was quickly put down and Yaa Asantewaa was sent into exile with her son.  Following this conflict the British Museum obtained a further 63 items from the Government of the Gold Coast, although many of these are thought to have been taken in 1896. These include several gold leaf-hilted state swords (afena), a ceremonial helmet with gold ornaments and amulets (denkyemkye), and a Mpomponsuo sword on which the Asantehene Prempeh I swore an oath to serve his people during his enstoolment ceremony.

Both the British Museum and Victoria and Alberst Museum subsequently obtained a number of smaller collections and individual items from private owners, either by sale or donation, including soldiers, colonial officials, mining engineers, and their families.

An Asante gold ring donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1921 by Victor Ames, an art collector, who reported having bought the item in Venice. Victoria and Albert Museum.

The items will be displayed in the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, at an exhibition which marks the Silver Jubilee of the Enstoolment of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the 100th anniversary of the return of Asantehene Prempeh I to Kumasi following his exile to the Seychelles by the British, and the 150th anniversary of the looting of Kumasi in 1874.

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