Britain, South Africa Return OverGhana’s Asante Kingdom has reclaimed more than 130 gold and bronze artefacts looted during colonial expeditions between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, marking a historic moment in the country’s cultural restitution efforts.

The Asante monarch, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, formally received the priceless objects at a ceremony held on Sunday at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, according to a statement from the royal court issued on Monday.

The returned collection includes royal regalia, ceremonial drums, and gold weights—many of which are between 45 and 160 years old. The artefacts offer vivid insights into Asante governance, spirituality, craftsmanship, and the symbolic role of gold in the kingdom’s history.

The king expressed profound gratitude to AngloGold Ashanti, a South African mining firm, for its role in facilitating the return of several artefacts the company had earlier purchased on the open market.

The firm had previously returned a batch of cultural items to Ghana in 2024.

Among the newly repatriated works are 110 artefacts from the Barbier-Muller Museum in Geneva, originally collected by Swiss art collector Josef Muller in 1904.

In addition, 25 artefacts were donated by Hermione Waterfield, a British art historian and founder of Christie’s Tribal Art Department in 1971.

According to Ivor Agyeman-Duah, art historian and director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, Waterfield’s donation includes a rare wooden drum believed to have been seized by British troops during the 1900 siege of Kumasi—a defining moment in Asante resistance to colonial rule.

The latest returns add to Ghana’s growing list of restituted treasures. In 2024, the Manhyia Palace Museum received 67 cultural objects either returned or loaned from international institutions such as the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles.

Cultural experts say the move signals growing international recognition of Africa’s right to reclaim looted heritage and could inspire similar restitution efforts across the continent.