The announcement about the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s project to recover stolen regalia of his ancestors is welcome tiding.
Coming on the heels of the ongoing restructuring of the Manhyia Museum, we think that when successful it would ensure the return of important regalia and other stuff looted by expeditionary forces of the British.
The return of such stuff would provide a rare opportunity for an enhanced learning of the history of the Asante Kingdom and by extension the Gold Coast.
We have observed efforts by other African kingdoms to recover stolen regalia of their ancestors by colonial powers and the dividends so far registered.
During his engagement with the managers of the British Museum, a lot of progress was made and we are hopeful that the King’s hosts would walk their talk of cooperating in that regard.
An MOU was signed between the King and the museum curators about the loaning of some historical stuff belonging to the Asante Kingdom for the celebration of the Otumfuo’s silver jubilee next year. This is sad and elating news. Why should items belonging to the Kingdom be loaned to the owners and not rather returned? It is elating that at least the items would visit their ancestral homes albeit briefly ahead of an eventual return later when negotiations are finalised hopefully.
A kingdom with such rich history, part of which is about its wars with the British, should have a lot to offer in terms of local history.
The place of the Asante Kingdom is etched not only in our local history but globally since after all it is about the interaction between it and one-time powerful British Empire. While the locals fought to protect their land and relics, they lost some anyway which is what the King wants back.
The interaction laced with battles otherwise referred to as the little wars of Asante and the British have shaped the history of the Gold Coast, now Ghana and the West African sub-region.
In 1976, the late Asantehene Opoku Ware II and the Duke of Gloucester opened an exhibition to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Asante War of 1874. It can only be imagined the number of regalia and other stuff of history which were lost during this time.
The Nigerians have made an appreciable headway, as some artifacts have been returned to the Kingdom of Benin.
Success in such high notched matters is embroiled in diplomatic shenanigans requiring government intervention, which we know government would readily offer.
We cannot fold our arms as the King embarks on such a costly project which will deny the museums of Britain of some of their prized artifacts.
Our history will not be complete without a return of such valuables.
Our traditional authorities must liaise with our historians in academia for a proper tabulation of the lost artifacts so that a united front can be presented for their recovery.