Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Prove readiness to repatriate artefacts!

It is now history that once upon a time the Europeans, particularly the Portuguese, British, French, Germans, and the Dutch colonised Africa countries, except Ethiopia and Liberia.

They took over the affairs of Africans as if the Africans did not have their own ways of life.

The colonists plundered the resources of Africans in the process – the minerals, forest products, particularly timber, fisheries— and also seized some of their lands.

The Europeans were so ferocious in the nefarious, greedy and inhumane activities that they even used their court and security systems to gag, exile and execute some outspoken Africans who challenged their authority.

As if that was not enough, the colonists looted intellectual property of the people, particularly artefacts.

Over the years, some Africans have been making noise about the need for the sadist colonists to pay Africans compensation for the damage done them and also return everything they have looted or stolen from Africa.

It is now in the news that the German government has, for instance, agreed to repatriate artefacts seized by the Germans during the colonial days from the people of Akpini Traditional Area in the Kpando Municipality in the Volta Region.

The artefacts, taken from the people in 1880, include drums, amulets, headdresses, ceramic vessels and two ivory horns decorated with human jaws and other bones and have been kept in a museum in Berlin ever since.

We hope the efforts being made by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state agencies, as well as the traditional leaders of Akpini, would go well for the repatriation process to take place successfully.

We commend the German Government for seeing the need to return that which does not belong to it.

Our only worry is that even the representative of the German Government in the country, Ambassador Daniel Krull, cannot not provide detailed information as to when the artefacts would be returned to the people of Akpini, yet he says the repatriation would depend on the government of Ghana, and the traditional leaders of Akpini.

What does the German government want the Ghanaians to do? What is it up to?

The Akpini traditional leaders have stated that they have to perform some rites in Berlin before the artefacts can be moved back to Ghana.

We think if the German government really wants to release the artefacts, all they have to do is to work with the Ghanaian government to facilitate the process and in a fast manner.

After all, the artefacts do not belong to you and that notwithstanding you have kept them all this while for whatever you cared for and now think enough is enough.

At best, you, the Germans, should even put some pressure on the Ghanaians to come for their looted heritage by easing some of the processes like offer of visas.

As rightly said by Professor Kodzo Gavua at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, the artefacts have some spiritual connections with the people and this means the people of Akpini have been deprived this connection all this while.

It is about time the people get connected to that aspect of their connection to the spiritual world, so we plead with the German government to act with a sense of urgency to prove that it really wants to repatriate artefacts.