UK Returns Looted Artifacts to Ghana

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Facts

The UK has returned, by way of a long-term loan, 32 royal artifacts from the Asante Kingdom to present-day Ghana, more than 150 years after they were looted during the Anglo-Asante wars.¹
The return follows the signing of a loan deal between the British Museum (BM), the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), and the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the current traditional ruler of the Asante people.¹
The mostly gold objects comprise 15 pieces from the BM and 17 from the V&A and are initially on loan for three years with the possibility of renewal for a further three years.²
The artifacts — including a golden peace pipe, a sword of state, and golden badges — will be displayed at the Manhyia Palace Museum in the Asante region's capital Kumasi in May as part of the Asantehene’s silver jubilee celebrations.³
Commenting on the artifacts' temporary return, Nana Oforiatta Ayim, a special advisor to Ghana's Minister of Culture, emphasized their 'spiritual importance' and described the regalia as 'part of the soul of the nation.'⁴
The Asante kingdom was once one of the most powerful and significant states in West Africa. In 1874, British troops launched a 'punitive expedition' against the Asante, plundering Kumasi and looting many of the palace treasures.⁵

Narrative A, as provided by The Artnewspaper. This loan is an acknowledgment by the UK of the artifacts' spiritual and cultural significance to the Asante people. Although the objects form only a part of the Asante collections, this loan includes most of the key works to right some of the wrongs of Britain's colonial past.
Narrative B, as provided by Africanews. This is a welcomed first step, but it must be seen as a first step toward the full-time return of the artifacts, otherwise, this is an embarrassment. The wounds of the past will only really begin to heal once the Asante cultural heritage returns to Ghana for good.