The UK is sending some of Ghana’s crown jewels back home, 150 years after looting them from the court of the Asante king. The Asante gold artefacts are the ultimate symbol of the Asante royal government and are believed to be invested with the spirits of former Asante kings.
The items to be loaned, most of which were taken during 19th-Century wars between the British and the Asante, include a sword of state, a gold peace pipe, and a ceremonial cap worn by courtiers at coronations. The loan deals are not with the Ghanaian government but with Otumfo Osei Tutu II – the current Asante king known as the Asantehene – who still holds an influential ceremonial role, although his kingdom is now part of Ghana’s modern democracy.
The items will go on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Asante region, to celebrate the Asantehene’s silver jubilee. Some national museums in the UK – including the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum – are banned by law 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 laying claim to disputed artefacts fear that loans may be used to imply they accept the UK’s ownership. Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, told the BBC that the gold items of court regalia are the equivalent of “our Crown Jewels”
