Britain and South Africa hand back Ghanaian royal artefacts

More than 130 gold and bronze artefacts taken between the 1870s and early 20th century were returned to Ghana on Sunday.

They were delivered by Britain and South Africa to King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi.

The artefacts included royal regalia, drums, and ceremonial gold weights. Dating between 45 and 160 years old, they depict governance systems, spiritual beliefs, and the role of gold in Asante society.

The king thanked South African mining company, AngloGold Ashanti, for returning several items purchased on the open market.

Other artefacts came from the Barbier-Muller Museum in Geneva assembled, by collector Josef Muller in 1904.

There were also items donated by British art historian Hermione Waterfield, who established the Tribal Art Department at Christie’s in 1971.

One of them is a wooden drum believed to have been seized during the siege of Kumasi by British colonial forces in 1900.

The Asante Kingdom was a powerful and wealthy state that ruled much of Ghana from the late 17th to the early 20th century before being annexed by Britain in 1901.