No agreement has yet been reached to return Ashanti gold artefacts that were looted by British soldiers who raided Kumasi in 1874, the Victorian and Albert Museum in London told the GNA on Friday.
However, the matter is still being discussed, with a further announcement expected later in the year.
In his recent annual report, the V&A’s Director, Tristram Hunt, said that during his visit to Ghana earlier this year, he began “conversations about a renewable cultural partnership centred around the V&A collection of Ashanti court regalia, which entered the collection following the looting of Kumasi in 1874”.
Soon after, some media reports indicated that the V&A had agreed to return the regalia to the Ashanti Kingdom.
But a spokesperson for the V&A told the GNA: “Dr Hunt visited Ghana at the start of this year ahead of the V&A’s Africa Fashion exhibition, which opened in July of this year at the V&A South Kensington.
“While there, he had the pleasure of visiting a number of different places, including Kumasi, to discuss future collaborations between the V&A and Ghana.
“At present, no formal agreement is in place.”
In his report, Dr Hunt had said: “We are optimistic that a new partnership model can forge a potential pathway for these important artefacts to be on display in Ghana in the coming years.”
Source: Newsghana.com.gh