Ghana and Nigeria, in the bid to repatriate looted artifacts, make a step forward

Ghana celebrated the repatriation of looted Asante gold artifacts, while Nigeria's efforts to display returned Benin Bronzes have stalled amid ownership disputes between national museums and the palace.

The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum became the home of 32 pieces of gold and silver artifacts for more than a century.  However, on April 12th, a highly guarded convoy brought them back to Ghana's Manhyia Palace in Kumasi. The things, including a fancy necklace, a peace pipe, and a ceremonial sword, had been stolen by the British soldiers during the Anglo-Asante wars of 1874 and 1896. 

Emotional repatriation of the stolen treasures of the Asante Kingdom was the major feature that marked the final stage of the Ghanaian struggle to reclaim the stolen property of the kingdom. "Sadly, while some of them were returned, not all of them came back. "This is what the Asantehene (King) Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said. "But, the ones we have here still have the soul of Asante in them. "

However, the artifacts are only on long-term loan rather than being permanently handed back due to the British law.  Therefore, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, the director of Manhyia Palace Museum, also believes that the current compromise is fair after 50 years of stalemate. The public will get an opportunity to admire these gold items at the museum. 

Nigeria has some achievements in the repatriation of the famous Benin Bronzes stolen by the British in 1897, but the process has been stalled. In sum, Germany recognized its ownership of 1,000 bronzes in 2022 and its foreign minister delivered 22 pieces by hand. However, almost 1. 5 years back, all those artifacts have not yet been exposed to public display due to the disagreement between the national museums and the Oba's palace regarding ownership. 

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Some Western museums have not been willing to transfer the bronzes because of the uncertainty. The returnees from Ghana have been processed in a shorter time without much red tape. Agyeman-Duah believes that gold is the 'magnet' that will attract the youth and thereby bring in more visitors.  He said: 'We will keep our word and return the loans if necessary. '

The varying ways of Ghana and Nigeria show the complexity of the issue of restoring the cultural heritage that was stolen by colonialism.