APA-Accra (Ghana) – Among these treasures is the royal sword known as “Mpomponsuo.”
Ghana’s traditional Asante king presented an exhibition for the first time at the museum in Kumasi (south), featuring dozens of royal objects looted during the colonial period and returned to the country
on loan from British museums to mark his silver jubilee.
Earlier this year, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum agreed to loan for a period of three years, renewable for a further three years, 32 gold and silver treasures looted by British military
forces from the court of the Ashanti kingdom during the Anglo-Asian wars of the 19th century.
These treasures include the royal sword, known as “Mpomponsuo,” and gold badges of officials responsible for ”purifying” the king’s soul.
The collection also includes a gold lute given by King Asante Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich as part of a trade treaty in 1817.
Speaking at a ceremony in Kumasi, King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said that the exhibition reflected “the soul of the Asante people,” adding that “today is a great day for the Asante, a great day for the black African continent, and the spirits are back with us today.”
The exhibition will open to the public this week, marking an important step towards cultural redress as pressure mounts on European and American museums and institutions to return African art stolen during the colonial period.
AC/fss/APA/AFP