The Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi is set to reopen on May 1, 2024, as part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene (Asante King).
The museum, hosted by the Asantehene, will unveil its newly refurbished facilities and historic Ashanti heirlooms in its new Homecoming exhibition. This milestone event marks a significant moment in the Ashanti Kingdom’s cultural heritage.
After 150 years, 32 royal treasures plundered from the Asante Kingdom by British institutions have been returned on a three-year loan.
The treasures, including 15 items from the British Museum and 17 from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), are now on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum.
Additionally, the Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles repatriated seven artefacts in February 2024.
The Homecoming exhibition commemorates these initiatives under Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s leadership.
The relics, looted by British military forces during the 19th century Anglo-Ashanti Wars, are now on display in their homeland for the first time in 150 years.
The collection includes the sword of state known as Mpomponsuo, gold badges of officials authorized to purify the king’s soul, and a gold harp-lute presented by Asantehene Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich during an 1817 trade treaty.
According to Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum and chief negotiator for the Asantehene, “These partnerships go beyond the Ashanti Kingdom, referencing ongoing international movements to repatriate cultural artefacts to their rightful origins.”
He added, “Homecoming renews our connections to Britain and the United States, in the spirit of progress and cooperation.”
The museum, originally built by the British for Asantehene Nana Prempeh I in 1925, has been expanded and now features photographic and regalia displays, lifelike mannequins of the 20th and 21st-century Asantehenes and Asantehemaas (queen mothers), and captivating narratives chronicling the legacy of the Ashanti kingdom, including its history with the British Empire.
More details of the opening ceremony and Homecoming exhibition will be announced soon.
