How the 'short-term restitution' of Britain's artefacts obtained in colonial times causes international resentment

Campaigners believe artefacts obtained in colonial times should be returned to their countries of origin

When an exhibition of gold and silver regalia linked to the Asante royal court goes on display in Ghana’s Manhyia Palace Museum later this year, it will be the first time any of the artefacts have been seen in the country for 150 years.

In an agreement with the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum, all 13 pieces of Asante royal regalia, which were looted by the British army during the raid on and destruction of the royal palace in the 19th century – as well as a number of other objects – will be returned on loan to Ghana. The items were acquired by the museum at an auction in April 1874.

Dr Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, described the three-year agreement as “part of our commitment to sharing collections with a colonial past”. Ghana's chief negotiator took an optimistic tone, saying he hoped for "a new sense of cultural co-operation" after generations of anger.

King Charles III receives His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, King of the Ashanti Kingdom, during an audience at Buckingham Palace in May.

Academics and campaigners for the return of colonial objects, however, were less positive.

“This is short-term restitution,” says Dr Nathan Bossoh, research fellow at the University of Southampton and expert in colonial museum collections. “True restitution is when items are sent back to the Asante and loaned by British museums. I don't think it is a cause for celebration necessarily, although it is a step further than what may have happened in previous years."

He warned continued ownership of objects taken in colonial times was a reminder of a painful history.

“The Asante people are very proud of their heritage and cultural heritage and their memory of their history of war with Britain has never left them, so these items, which have been since kept in Britain, for them represent that historical reality into the present,” he said.

"They certainly want to be fully reunited with their items and I think for many of the Asante, they will only feel half joyful about this. Given the colonial history, the ideal situation would be a full restitution, not just for the Asante nation, but for various African nations and groups with looted material.”

The loan of the Ghanaian objects is part of an exhibition planned to celebrate the silver jubilee of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asante King known as the Asantehene. Osei Tutu II attended the coronation of King Charles III last year and made a state visit to the University of St Andrews in September. This is the latest return of artefacts obtained by Britain as a result of colonial rule.

The near-200-year-old row over the return of the Elgin marbles surfaced again at the end of last year, when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled his meeting with the Greek prime minister after Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with the BBC that he wanted the sculptures to be returned. This broke a promise not to publicly discuss the issue, which the Prime Minister’s office described as “long-settled”.

The sculptures known as the Elgin marbles – 17 figures and part of a frieze that decorated the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis – were taken by Fife-born Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. They have since been the subject of a long-running dispute over where they should be displayed. The Greek government has said having some of the treasures in London and others in Athens was like cutting the Mona Lisa in half.

National museums are tied to a certain extent to government policy, which has so far been concerned that returning any colonial era-obtained treasures could start an avalanche of similar requests, decimating national collections. The 1963 and 1983 British Museum Act and National Heritage Act essentially means that full returns are prohibited.

“It seems like the current government is not really keen to work on restitution and repatriation cases,” says Dr Bossoh. “France and Germany on the other hand have recently funded a major research initiative, of which it seems to logically follow will likely lead to active returns

Scotland’s national museums have similar issues.

In 2022, Glasgow Museums agreed to return seven stolen artefacts to India. Six of the items, including 14th-century carvings and 11th-century stone door jams, were stolen from shrines and temples in the 19th century.

Meanwhile, the seventh object, a ceremonial sword and its scabbard was stolen in 1905 from the collection of the Nizam of Hyderabad by his prime minister and then sold to the British general Sir Archibald Hunter. All of the artefacts were gifted to Glasgow Museums.

In August, the return of the Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole to Canada from the National Museum of Scotland was hailed by campaigners as not only a victory for the Nisga'a Nation, but for all activists fighting to have artefacts returned to their native countries. It has placed further pressure on institutions to return disputed objects to their native lands.

The pole was carved from red cedar in 1855 by artist Oyea Tait in memory of Ts’aawit, a Nisga’a chief. Nisga'a researchers say the pole, which was sold to the museum by Canadian anthropologist Marius Barbeau in 1929, was stolen without consent while locals were away from their villages for the annual hunting season.

The museum believes it acted in good faith, but now understands the individual who "sold" it to Mr Barbeau did so "without the cultural, spiritual, or political authority to do so on behalf of the Nisga'a Nation".

National Museums Scotland said at the time it had only one outstanding request for the return of an item in its collection – to transfer its Benin Bronzes, taken from the West African nation by British troops during an 1897 raid on the royal palace of Benin, which were later sold to the museum. However, the Scottish Government would have to approve any such transfer.