The fact the UK is doing the right thing actually makes me happy.
I’ve never really understood this whole thing. There isn’t a vocal group saying we should keep all this stuff, I’ve never heard anyone arguing to keep it, even on the Daily Nail comments section. Why did the government put a law into place to stop museums giving stuff back? No one was asking for it.
Why did the government put a law into place to stop museums giving stuff back? No one was asking for it.
Because old people don’t want to have to travel past the M25 to see history stuff.
It’s always the old people. Always.
You beat me to it and in a much more eloquent way.
They are pretty screwed then.
As much of the stuff is in pit rivers Oxford. IE outside the m25.
And that is likely the why. Much of the stuff was taken by guys like pitt rivers. Who built a lot of family wealth on the campaigns. And the government is still protecting those interests.
While I’m pro giving it back, the article makes a good point about the Benin Bronzes being kept privately in the palace with no plan of them ever being displayed and refusing to even speak to existing museums. It’s very sad.
It must be very difficult for the previous holders to know they are basically in some rich blokes bedroom now.
If i missed a few stupid typo correction. Sorry visually impaired so while I try to reread and catch them all. It can be a nightmare when I make a typo autocorrect replaces with something wierd. Ashanti to Asian tiger seems to be a fav here
The whole thing was a mess. And well we brits have a pretty arrogant establishment.
But here is a story that made me smile when I learned it during some research into the history of the UK Ashamti wars.
When our ancestors finally defeated the Ashanti in 1896. They demanded the golden stool. As a punishment for the defiance of the Ashanti. As the stool was a very important part of the tribes identity. And according to history. It was given over by Queen Yaa Asentwaa (True bad arse worrior Queen who lead and motivated the final rebellion of the tribe. Seriosely read up on her she is inspiring) gave over the stool before being banished from Ghana by the brits.
And we have been holding it in British museums ever since.
But sometime around the 1970s. When our (young at the time) Queen visited the nation. It was discovered we were given a fake. Queen Yaa Asentwaa had given the British soldiers one more FU after admitting defeat. And the rullers of the Ashati Tribe in Kumasi ( city in Ghana still rulled by the Ashanti Asantehene(king) till this day (the status of the city and King is built into their constution). Has been using the real golden stool as their traditional laws requires for all formal ceremonies since 1896.
As someone who has always had an interest in the region (long still close relationship with Nigerian ex gf). And have always been a bit pissed about the arrogance of many actions of our nation during that time.
I find the effectivness and ease that the British commanters had the wool pulled over there eyes. Hilarious.
When you add the final war of 1896. Was after almost 100 years of the brits regularly starting wars trying and out right failing to beat the Ashati into submission. The tribe being a constant thorn in our ability to rule what we called the gold Coast and managing to remain independent of the British for all that time plus the Portuguese and Spanish who several times tried to controll the area from the mid 1700s.
The history of the Ashati empire really is fun to read about.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
So why is it taking Nigeria so long to put its returned treasures on display?A convoy sped along the busy road from Ghana’s capital, Accra, to the central city of Kumasi on 12 April, carrying an unusual and highly valuable cargo.A police motorcycle cleared the road with its flashing blue lights and blaring siren.
In a van behind were crates containing 32 pieces of gold and silver, including beautiful and intricate necklaces, a peace pipe and a ceremonial sword.Almost all of these objects were taken by British soldiers who invaded Asante land in 1874 and 1896, and plundered the palace of the king, or Asantehene.
He was also in that convoy, anxious nothing should go wrong.Mr Agyeman-Duah has been a key player in the negotiations over the return of the Asante gold, which was in two of the UK’s leading museums: the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert (V&A).He is a cool-headed and persuasive man, but the negotiations have been complicated.The two institutions are prevented by British law from permanently returning items, so the objects have come to Ghana on long-term loan.For many, that is a bitter pill to swallow.
Nii Kwate Owoo, a celebrated Ghanaian film-maker who was at the ceremony in Kumasi on 1 May, made his name in the 1970s with his documentary You Hide Me, which lambasts the British Museum for hoarding African treasures.“An armed robber comes into your house, mows down your family and grabs your valuables, and comes back later and says: ‘OK, you’re making noises, I’ll give this back as a loan!’” Mr Owoo told me, deeply unimpressed by the British terms.Mr Agyeman-Duah understands these emotions - his own great-grandfather was exiled by the British during the Anglo-Asante wars - but is confident the Asantehene chose the right path.“We’ve been talking about this for 50 years, and nothing happened… if we couldn’t find a middle way, we’d have just continued with this stalemate,” he argues.There are obvious similarities between the British pillaging of Kumasi and another notorious episode in West African colonial history - the sacking of the palace of the king, or Oba, in Benin City in 1897, in what is today Edo State, southern Nigeria.That was when the British took the Benin Bronzes - thousands of brass castings and ivory carvings - which are at the forefront of the debate around looted artefacts in Western museums.Nigeria has had some success in its campaign for the return of the bronzes.In 2022 the German government announced the transfer of ownership of some 1,000 Benin Bronzes.Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock flew to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and handed over 22 of the most spectacular objects to the Nigerian government.She said it was “a step that was long overdue”.
It has postponed that meeting until 2025.There are mitigating factors.Nigeria’s elections last year, and the subsequent drawn-out appointments of ministers and a new head of the NCMM, have caused delays.
He urges people not to concentrate on the loan terms, but instead enjoy the reality that these wonderful objects have come home.“Let’s show our children these creations of 150 years ago, and say: ‘Your ancestors, your forebears, were able to do these marvellous productions.’ And it could inspire them to do similar things,” he says.The loan with the British Museum and V&A is for three years, with the possibility of a three-year renewal.If, after that, the museums asked for the gold to go back to London, what would Mr Agyeman-Duah do?He does not hesitate: “We’ve signed an agreement and we will keep our word.“Otherwise what kind of signal does it send?”Barnaby Phillips is the author of Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes and is now writing a book about the Asante gold.
The original article contains 1,140 words, the summary contains 616 words. Saved 46%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
when your party member rolls greed on the loot and you forget to roll need
