Mr Hunt was not as diplomatic. Standing under his own vast parasol, he said the gold he was there to return was “looted”, adding that it had to be returned as a matter of “healing and reconciliation” that might address the “painful scars” of colonialism.
The Asante Empire emerged in the 17th century, and became famed for their warrior prowess and vast wealth derived from gold, and its trade in slaves.
The West African power fought the British in a string of conflicts in the 19th century. Despite early victories, the Asante lost the Third Anglo-Asante War in 1874 and objects of ceremonial and spiritual significance were handed over as part of the treaty to end the war.
In 1896, future founder of the Boy Scouts, Robert Baden Powell, led another campaign against the Asante which resulted in further artefacts being taken and the then king, Prempeh I, being deposed and sent into exile in the Seychelles.
As they reversed this handover, Mr Hunt and Mr Gosden addressed the king, strode to bring him gifts, bowed before the monarch, and officially handed back some of what his ancestors lost.
Concluding the ceremony, the king officially opened the Homecoming exhibition displaying the repatriated gold, welcoming back objects he proclaimed carried the “soul of the Asante”.
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