UK to Loan Ghana Looted Crown 150 Years After Looting

A long-term loan agreement between the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the British Museum will return gold and silver artefacts to Ghana, 150 years after they were taken from the Asante people during British colonial wars in West Africa.

The collaboration, which sidesteps UK laws that prohibit the return of cultural treasures to their countries of origin, includes 17 items, including 13 pieces of Asante royal regalia purchased by the V&A at auction in 1874.

The items are of cultural, historical, and spiritual significance to the Asante people and are indelibly linked to British colonial history in West Africa.

However, items covered by the loan agreement represent just a fraction of the Asante artifacts held by British museums and private collectors worldwide.

Nana Oforiatta Ayim, special adviser to Ghana’s culture minister, said the deal was a “starting point” given British laws that prohibit the return of cultural artifacts. However, she emphasized that the regalia should be returned to its rightful owners.