The Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi has welcomed the return of 130 Asante royal artifacts, spanning gold and bronze artworks created between the 1870s and early 20th century. The pieces, many of which represent traditional governance and the cultural significance of gold in Asante society, are now back under the care of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The artifacts, aged between 45 and 160 years, were returned through two donations—from South Africa and the United Kingdom. A significant portion, 110 items, came from AngloGold Ashanti.
The company’s Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, Stuart Bailey, led the delegation to the Manhyia Palace, joined by Obuasi Mine Managing Director Samuel Boakye Pobee and former Obuasi MP Edward Ennin.
Presenting the items, Bailey emphasized the company’s commitment to cultural preservation.
“Although we acquired the artifacts legally through open market purchases, we found it morally right to return them to their rightful cultural home,” Bailey said.
Many of these objects were originally part of the Barbier-Mueller Museum’s Asante collection in Geneva, collected by the late Josef Muller starting in 1904.
The remaining 25 pieces were donated by British art historian and curator Hermione Waterfield, 86, who has long been involved in documenting African art history. Waterfield’s donation includes a rare 46-inch wooden fontomfrom drum, believed to have been looted during the 1900 British advance on the Manhyia Palace, also known as the Yaa Asantewaa War.
Waterfield, who inherited the drums and owned fourteen gold weights acquired between 1967 and 1973, also returned several private collection pieces.
According to Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, the restitution significantly enhances the historical and academic value of the museum’s collection.
He credited the late British art historian Timothy Garrard for his work in documenting Asante metalwork traditions.
Among the returned items is a brass self-portrait of Garrard on a motorbike, sculpted in Kumasi in 1980 by Yaw Amankwa. Agyeman-Duah added that the newly returned works will be exhibited alongside pieces by renowned Ghanaian and African artists, including Ablade Glover, El Anatsui, Ato Delaquis, Nee Owoo, Anthony Kwame Akoto, Vincent Koffi, and Edwin Kwasi Bodjawah.
The latest restitution underscores ongoing efforts to restore Asante’s cultural heritage while highlighting the kingdom’s enduring artistic legacy.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Isaac Justice Bediako
