Asante King's Artifact Display

Ghana’s Asante King displayed for the first time dozens of royal artifacts looted during colonial rule, after they were returned by British museums on a long-term loan as part of his silver jubilee celebrations.

The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum earlier this year agreed to give back 32 gold and silver treasures pillaged by British military forces from Asante leader Asantehene’s court during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante Wars.

They include the sword of the state known as Mpomponsuo and the gold badges of officers authorized to purify the king’s soul. The collection also features a gold lute harp presented by Asantehene Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich during an 1817 trade treaty.

Speaking at the event dubbed "Homecoming: adversity and commemoration," King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said the first-ever exhibition of the artifacts at Manhyia Palace reflected the "soul of the Asante people."

"Though not all have been returned, what we have here still embodies the soul of the Asantes," the king said of the items looted in 1874.

The Ghanaian King showcased the items in the refurbished Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the seat of the Asantehene kingdom. Each item offered visitors a rare glimpse into the splendor of Asante history and culture.

The return of the objects came as pressure grew on European and US museums and institutions to restore African artifacts stolen during the rule of former colonial powers Britain, France, Germany and Belgium.

Dr Tristram Hunt, the Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, said the artifacts, symbolizing the rich heritage of the Asante Kingdom, were returned to address "the very painful history surrounding the acquisition of these objects, a history tainted by the scars of imperial conflict and colonialism."

The exhibition will be opened to the public this week.