Asante artefacts ‘stolen’ during the Sagrenti War arrive in Ghana

The first set of stolen Asante artefacts during the Sagrenti War in 1874 has reportedly arrived in Ghana on Friday, February 2, 2024.

According to pro-Manhyia opemsuo.com, the first set of stolen artefacts includes a seven-piece collection from the Fowler Museum of the University of California in Los Angeles, United States of America.

The report indicated the seven-piece collection is the first of two sets scheduled to return home after 150 years of the Sagrenti War.

Paramount Chief of Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Otuo Serebuo II, disclosed the arrival of the artefacts at a press briefing at the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs on Friday.

Nana Otuo Serebuo II, who is the chairman of the planning committee for the 2024 Anniversaries of Asanteman, said that the artefacts would be presented to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on February 8, 2024, during an event to mark the Sagrenti War at the Manhyia Palace.

He further stated that the Asantehene is determined to return all the artefacts stolen from the Asanti Kingdom.

“Since the enstoolment of Otumfuo, he had dedicated his attention to bringing home these items. The Americans are here with theirs but the ones from the UK are yet to come,” he said.

He added that the collections from the UK are expected in the country by the end of April.

Background:

In a wave of ongoing discussions on the restitution of African artefacts looted during the colonial era, significant strides have been made as repatriations gain momentum across the continent.

Notably, in the Republic of Benin, 26 royal artifacts plundered by the French colonial army in 1892 have returned to the Dahomey Kingdom, while Ethiopia celebrates the largest act of restitution in its history, with 13 treasures reclaimed from the British after the 1868 Battle of Maqdala.

In Ghana, the Asantehene is advocating for the return of Asante gold regalia from British museums, with expectations of a positive outcome in 2024, coinciding with the silver jubilee coronation of the 16th Asante monarch.

The Manhyia Palace Museum is being prepared to receive these artifacts, promising to bolster tourism in the region, Graphic.gh.com reports.

The restitution efforts align with two significant events in 2024 – the commemoration of 150 years since the third Anglo-Asante war of 1874 and the centenary of the return of the 13th Asantehene, Prempeh I, from 28 years of exile in the Seychelles archipelago.

In a meeting with the Director of the British Museum during his visit to London in May 2023, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II expressed his desire for restitution, receiving assurances that the British Museum would consider his request within the framework of established laws.

The Asantehene's team, including historian Ivor Agyeman-Duah and former Keeper of Ethnography at the British Museum, Prof. Malcolm McLeod, has since engaged in discussions with museum officials, signalling progress.

BAI/OGB

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