The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is set to receive 28 additional gold ornaments and regalia, dating back to 19th-century creations by royal artisans of the Asante Court and others.
The official presentation will take place this weekend at a mini durbar at the Manhyia Palace, coinciding with the centenary anniversary of the return from exile in the Seychelles of his grand-uncle, Nana Agyeman Prempeh I.
The durbar will also be held in honour of the visiting President of the Republic of Seychelles, His Excellency Wavel Ramkalawan.
Originally part of the Collection of African Gold at AngloGold Ashanti in South Africa, the Asantehene made a direct intervention earlier this year with the multinational company (formerly Ashanti Goldfields), which led to an agreement for deaccession.
The items had previously been part of the Gold of Africa Museum at AngloGold Ashanti in Cape Town before they were transferred to the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria.
The deaccession to Kumasi, however, follows the approval of the export permit granted three weeks ago by the Reserve Bank of South Africa.
Historian and Associate Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, who authenticated the acquisition, coordinated with a member of the Ghana Board of AngloGold Ashanti and former Member of Parliament for Obuasi, Edward Michael Ennin.
He described the acquisition as including objects such as linguist staff, swords, palace security locks, regalia like rings and necklaces, and proverbial gold weights of crocodiles, as well as gold scandals reflecting the court governance structure and chieftaincy.
Though they were produced over a century ago, the objects were purchased by the wealthy Swiss collector of West African art, Joseph Mueller, in 1922, and became part of his collection, which was later turned into the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva.
In 2000, AngloGold Ashanti acquired the Barbier-Mueller Collection of 350 objects showcasing the best goldsmithery in West Africa and housed them in a century-old Dutch East India Company building in Cape Town. The collection’s return to its origins in Africa was hailed as a major cultural event.
Later, AngloGold Ashanti’s Gold of Africa Museum merged with the Geneva-based museum and became the AngloGold Ashanti Gold of Africa Museum-Barbier-Mueller Museum in Pretoria.
Mr. Agyeman-Duah explained that these objects will be displayed in a new contemporary art gallery that the Asantehene has recently added to the Manhyia Palace Museum.
An AngloGold Ashanti delegation, led by the Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Stewart Bailey, will include the Senior Vice President of Group Sustainability, Baso Sangou; the Senior Vice President of Africa Non-Operated Ventures, Eric Asuoboteng; and Legal Resources for Corporate Affairs, Aviona Mabaso. They are expected in Kumasi for the presentation.
A fellow of Yale University’s Director’s Forum, Lekgetho Mokola, who was formerly the Director of the Javett Art Centre in Pretoria, says this is a major internal accomplishment.
“Africa is now taking the lead in restitution within its territories to address its colonial legacies. Possibly, the rest of the restitution work beyond our borders will increase in pace to return what belongs to the people of this continent,” he said.
This return brings to 67 the number of restituted and other loaned cultural objects from the nineteenth century received by the Palace this year.
It is the highest such deaccession in Africa in a single year for a very long time.
Earlier in February, the Fowler Museum of the University of California, Los Angeles, brought in seven objects looted in the 1874 Anglo-Asante War, followed in March by 32 objects from The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Source: Myjoyonline
