Asante Gold: UK returns looted Ghana artefacts after 150 years

The V&A is lending 17 items including an Asante gold ring (top left), a gold badge worn by the king's "soul washer" and a ceremonial pipe

The UK has returned dozens of artifacts looted from what is now Ghana, over 150 years after they were taken.

Some 32 gold and silver items have been sent on a long-term loan to Ghana by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum. These items were stolen from the court of the Asante king, known as the Asantehene, during 19th-century conflicts between the British and the powerful Asante people.

The objects are expected to be returned to the current king on Friday. His chief negotiator, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, told the BBC that the objects are currently in "safe hands" in Ghana awaiting formal reception. They are scheduled to be displayed next month at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region, as part of celebrations marking the silver jubilee of the current Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Among the returned artifacts are a gold peace pipe, a sword of state, and gold badges worn by officials tasked with cleansing the king's soul. These gold artifacts hold immense symbolic value within the Asante royal government, believed to be imbued with the spirits of past Asante kings.

The artefacts' return coincides with the silver jubilee of the current Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

Nana Oforiatta Ayim, special adviser to Ghana's culture minister, previously described the objects as "part of the soul of the nation," expressing that their return signifies "pieces of ourselves returning."

The loan agreement, negotiated directly with the king rather than the Ghanaian government, will last for three years with the option to extend for another three. The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is lending 17 pieces, while 15 are from the British Museum. Both institutions have expressed their joy at participating in this important cultural collaboration.

While some UK national museums are legally prohibited from permanently returning contested items, such loan agreements are viewed as a way to facilitate the return of objects to their countries of origin.

This return of Asante items occurs amid ongoing discussions about the fate of other artifacts exported from their native lands, such as the Benin Bronzes and the Elgin Marbles (Parthenon Sculptures).

The loan of these artifacts is seen by some as Britain's acknowledgment of its colonial legacy while also fostering improved relationships for the future.