Foreign News
Asante Gold: UK to loan back Ghana’s looted ‘crown jewels’
The UK is sending some of Ghana’s “crown jewels” back home, 150 years after looting them from the court of the Asante king.
A gold peace pipe is among 32 items returning under long-term loan deals, the BBC can reveal.
The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is lending 17 pieces and 15 are from the British Museum.
Ghana’s chief negotiator said he hoped for “a new sense of cultural co-operation” after generations of anger.
Some national museums in the UK – including the V&A and the British Museum – are banned by law from permanently giving back contested items in their collections, and loan deals such as this are seen as a way to allow objects to return to their countries of origin. But some countries laying claim to disputed artifacts fear that loans may be used to imply they accept the UK’s ownership.
Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, told the BBC that the gold items of court regalia are the equivalent of “our Crown Jewels”.
The items to be loaned, most of which were taken during 19th-Century wars between the British and the Asante, include a sword of state and gold badges worn by officials charged with cleansing the soul of the king.
Mr Hunt said when museums hold “objects with origins in war and looting in military campaigns, we have a responsibility to the countries of origin to think about how we can share those more fairly today. “It doesn’t seem to me that all of our museums will fall down if we build up these kind of partnerships and exchanges.”
However, Mr Hunt insisted the new cultural partnership “is not restitution by the back door” – meaning it is not a way to return permanent ownership back to Ghana.
The three-year loan agreements, with an option to extend for a further three years, are not with the Ghanaian government but with Otumfo Osei Tutu II – the current Asante king known as the Asantehene – who attended the Coronation of King Charles last year. The Asantehene still holds an influential ceremonial role, although his kingdom is now part of Ghana’s modern democracy.
The items will go on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Asante region, to celebrate the Asantehene’s silver jubilee.
The Asante gold artifacts are the ultimate symbol of the Asante royal government and are believed to be invested with the spirits of former Asante kings.
They have an importance to Ghana comparable to the Benin Bronzes – thousands of sculptures and plaques looted by Britain from the palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in modern-day southern Nigeria. Nigeria has been calling for their return for decades.
Nana Oforiatta Ayim, special adviser to Ghana’s culture minister, told the BBC: “They’re not just objects, they have spiritual importance as well. They are part of the soul of the nation. It’s pieces of ourselves returning.” She said the loan was “a good starting point” on the anniversary of the looting and “a sign of some kind of healing and commemoration for the violence that happened”.
UK museums hold many more items taken from Ghana, including a gold trophy head that is among the most famous pieces of Asante regalia.
The Asante built what was once one of the most powerful and formidable states in west Africa, trading in, among others, gold, textiles and enslaved people.
The kingdom was famed for its military might and wealth. Even now, when the Asantehene shakes hands on official occasions, he can be so weighed down with heavy gold bracelets that he sometimes has an aide whose job is to support his arm.
Europeans were attracted to what they later named the Gold Coast by the stories of African wealth and Britain fought repeated battles with the Asante in the 19th Century.
In 1874 after an Asante attack, British troops launched a “punitive expedition”, in the colonial language of the time, ransacking Kumasi and taking many of the palace treasures.
Most of the items the V&A is returning were bought at an auction on 18 April 1874 at Garrards, the London jewellers who maintain the UK’s Crown Jewels.
They include three heavy cast-gold items known as soul washers’ badges (Akrafokonmu), which were worn around the necks of high ranking officials at court who were responsible for cleansing the soul of the king.
Angus Patterson, a senior curator at the V&A, said taking these items in the 19th Century “was not simply about acquiring wealth, although that is a part of it. It’s also about removing the symbols of government or the symbols of authority. It’s a very political act”.
The British Museum is also returning on loan a total of 15 items, some of them looted during a later conflict in 1895-96, including a sword of state known as the Mpomponsuo.
There is also a ceremonial cap, known as a Denkyemke, richly decorated with gold ornaments. It was worn by senior courtiers at coronations and other major festivals.
The British Museum is also lending a cast-gold model lute-harp (Sankuo), which was not looted, to highlight its almost 200-year-old connection with the Asantehenes.
The sankuo was presented to the British writer and diplomat Thomas Bowdich in 1817, who said it was intended as a gift from the Asantehene to the museum to demonstrate the wealth and status of the Asante nation.
Can you loan objects back to a country that says you stole them?
It’s a solution to UK legal restrictions that may not be acceptable to countries which say they want to right a historic wrong.
The issue of the Parthenon Sculptures, or Elgin Marbles as they were named in the UK, is the best-known example.
Greece has long demanded the return of these classical sculptures that are displayed in the British Museum. Its chair of trustees, George Osborne, recently said that he was looking for a “practical, pragmatic and rational way forward” and was exploring a partnership that, in essence, puts the question of who actually owns the classical sculptures to one side.
This agreement with the Asantehene is another version of that; a compromise that works for the Asante king and is possible within the parameters of British law.
Just as Nigeria would be unlikely to accept a loan of the Benin Bronzes, it would have been difficult for Ghana’s government to accept this kind of agreement.
But Mr Hunt said the deals between the V&A, the British Museum and the Manhyia Palace Museum “cut through the politics. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it begins the conversation”.
Ms Oforiatta Ayim, the Ghana culture minister’s adviser, said “of course” people will be angry at the idea of a loan and they hoped to see items eventually returned permanently to Ghana. “We know the objects were stolen in violent circumstances, we know the items belong to the Asante people,” she said.
The British government has a “retain and explain” stance for state-owned institutions, which means contested objects are kept and their context is explained.
Neither the Conservative nor Labour parties have signalled any interest in changing current legislation. The British Museum Act of 1963 and the National Heritage Act of 1983 prevent museum trustees at some high-profile institutions from “deaccessioning” items in their collections.
Mr Hunt is advocating a change in the law. He would like to see “more freedom for museums, but then a kind of backstop, a committee where we would have to appeal if we wanted to restitute items”.
Some have raised concerns this would mean British museums losing some of their most prized items in future. Or as a previous culture secretary, Michelle Donelan, put it to me in relation to a return of the Parthenon Sculptures, that it would “open the gateway to the question of the entire contents of our museums”.
But Mr Hunt said the ownership of very few of the V&A’s collection of 2.8 million items has been disputed.
Another fear is that contested items that go on loan will never be returned.
Ghana’s chief negotiator Ivor Agyeman-Duah scotched that. “You stick to agreements that you have, you don’t go against them,” he said.
There are other beautiful Asante gold items in the UK. The Wallace Collection includes the trophy head which is among the most famous Asante treasures. It too was taken by British forces and bought at the 1874 auction.
The Royal Collection also holds objects including another gold trophy head in the form of a mask. This type of item represented defeated enemies; the trophies were attached by a hoop to ceremonial swords in the state regalia.
Will they ever be on show in Ghana in future? Mr Adyeman-Duah is taking it one step at a time.
But as Britain is increasingly confronting the cultural legacy of its colonial past, these types of agreements may be a diplomatic and practical way to address the past and create better relationships in the future – if both sides can accept the terms.
(BBC)
Qatar’s prime minister has held meetings in the Iranian capital, discussing key issues including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, amid international hopes that dialogue between the United States and Iran on ending the war will resume.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Thursday discussed a proposed framework that includes the creation of a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a possible “joint project” to clear the strait of mines, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Iran says the mines were laid during the war.
The two officials also reviewed “the latest developments in the regional situation … along with the efforts being made to reduce escalation and create appropriate conditions for dialogue, contributing to the enhancement of regional security and stability”, the statement added.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is both prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, later met separately with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Ghalibaf emphasised the need to de-escalate regional tensions, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. He and Sheikh Mohammed also exchanged views on the current developments in the region and efforts to create suitable conditions for resuming dialogue, the report added.
“Qatar believes that dialogue and diplomatic solutions remain the optimal path for addressing disputes and overcoming crises,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a post on X, adding that his discussions in Tehran serve as “confirmation of our continued efforts to de-escalate tensions … while opening the door to peaceful solutions – including underscoring the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.”
Sheikh Mohammed also met with Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezai.
Rezai told him the “US must first take practical steps to fulfil Iran’s conditions and then Iran will proceed to open the Strait of Hormuz”, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
Rezai also reiterated previous pledges by Tehran that if Washington “starts any evil”, Iran would “bring disaster to its military and economic interests”.
Sheikh Mohamed’s visit follows a week of intense diplomacy in Iran involving separate meetings with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and senior Pakistani officials seeking ways to end the US-Israel war on Iran and reopen the strategic waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes in peacetime.
[Aljazeera]
Nepal sent helicopters to the rescue after a huge flash flood swept away villages, killing at least eight people and damaging roads, bridges and power projects in areas near Tibet, authorities said.
Officials said 384 tourists, including 291 from countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, India and Malaysia were reported missing as a result of the flash flood on Wednesday.
The waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said.
“There could be heavy casualties or loss of property,” district administrator Narendra Pariyar told the Reuters news agency. “But I cannot say for sure now.”
Pariyar urged those living on the banks of the Bhote Koshi River in the area to seek higher ground, pointing to reports that nearby villages and infrastructure project sites were washed away.
Across the border, Tibet reported “major casualties” with people missing in the neighbouring county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between China and Nepal, the Xinhua official news agency said.
The mudslide hit China’s Gyirong port, cutting off roads, communications and power in the Shigatse region, Xinhua added, without giving details.
President Xi Jinping urged “all-out” efforts to search for the missing, and called for strengthening monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.
Prayash Adhikari, a climate justice activist in Nepal, said the “devastating” flood has wiped out “whole villages”
“Hundreds of people are missing,” Adhikari told Al Jazeera from Kathmandu, stating it wiped out buildings, schools, bridges and highways.
Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys.
Many people were caught off guard when the flash flood hit, as there was no heavy rainfall, said Kosh Raj Koirala, an editor of Republica Daily, an English newspaper in Nepal’s capital.
“People were at home … several houses have been washed away, swept away by the river,” Koirala told Al Jazeera.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to take stock of the situation.
“Work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross,” Shah said in a social media post.
The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area.
“The work of collecting details of the damage is under way,” it said in a statement.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, have been damaged.
“The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority … resulting in disruption of electricity supply,” it said.
Several highways were also closed, according to the authorities.
‘Glacial lake outburst’ could be underlying cause
Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal say an avalanche from a glacier likely caused the flash flood.
The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, witnessed maximum flooding on Wednesday, they said.
“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.
Adhikari, the climate activist, told Al Jazeera that early warning systems are crucial to protect communities.
“This can’t be completely turned around because we are on the verge of climate catastrophe, but still we can protect our communities,” he said.
The Bhote Koshi River originates in Tibet and empties into Nepal’s Trishuli River, which eventually flows into India as the Gandak River.
A flood last year in the Bhote Koshi River killed nine people, with 24 missing, and washed away the “Friendship Bridge” linking Nepal and China, disrupting transport and trade for several months. That flood was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, a regional climate monitor said.
Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.
Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli river after flash floods in Nepal’s Nuwakot district [Aljazeera]
[Aljazeera]
New Zealand is to introduce a bill seeking to ban under-16s from using social media.
Under the latest proposals, platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, will have to take steps to check users are over 16 and platforms that fail to meet their obligations could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said social media was exposing children to “harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with”. But several political parties have said they will vote against the bill.
The move follows a similar ban in Australia, while countries including the UK and Greece are set to introduce restrictions next year.
Luxon said social media was affecting children’s family life, mental health, sleep and education.
“We have protections to keep children safe in the real world and we need them in the virtual world too,” he said.
New Zealand’s government has not outlined which other “high risk” platforms could be impacted.
A statement said that under the Online Safety Bill, which is being introduced to parliament on Monday, social media companies would be required to “take reasonable steps” to check users are over the age of 16 by using methods including existing account information, facial age estimation and digital identity checks.
Platforms regularly used by children would also be required to regularly assess the risks they pose and report on how they are being identified and reduced.
No penalties are proposed for children, parents or caregivers for breaches of the ban, but fines for social media companies could be substantially higher than in Australia, where the maximum penalty is $99m.
It is unclear if the bill will get enough votes to pass however, after both the Act and New Zealand First (NZF) parties – which are coalition partners in the government – said they would oppose it.
David Seymour, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister and leader of Act, said the ban would not work.
Foreign affairs minister Winston Peters, who leads the NZF party, said: “We have been concerned with the proposed legislation and the direction and slippery slope that legislation like this will inevitably take our country.”
Peters also described a ban introduced in Australia in December as a “colossal failure”.
The ban has been difficult for Australia to enforce, and it has been widely acknowledged that many children under the age of 16 have still been able to access and use banned apps.
Earlier this month, France’s top court struck down a similar proposed social media ban, saying it infringed upon freedom of expression.
[BBC]
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