Asante Gold: UK go loan Ghana back di 'crown jewels' wey dem bin move

Di UK dey send some of Ghana "crown jewels" back home, 150 years afta looting dem from di court of di Asante king.

One gold peace pipe dey among 32 items wey dey return under long-term loan deals, di BBC fit reveal.

Di Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) dey lending 17 pieces and 15 na from di British Museum.

Ghana chief negotiator say e bin hope for "a new sense of cultural co-operation" afta generations of anger.

Some national museums for di UK - including di V&A and di British Museum - dey banned by law from permanently giving back contested itemsfor dia collections, and loan deals such as dis dey seen as a way to allow objects to return to dia kontris of origin.

But some kontris dey lay claim to disputed artefacts fear say loans fit dey used to imply dem accept di UK ownership.

Tristram Hunt, director of di V&A, tell di BBC say di gold items of court regalia dey equivalent of "our Crown Jewels".

Di items dem go loan, most of wey dem collect during 19th-Century wars between di British and di Asante, include a sword of state and gold badges wey officials charge wit cleansing di soul of di king.

Hunt say wen museums hold "objects wey come from war and looting in military campaigns, we get responsibility to di kontris wey dem from come to tink about how we fit share dem more fairly today.

"To me e no be like say all our museum go fall down if we build dis kain collabo and exchanges."

However, Hunt insist say di new cultural collabo "no be compensation through back door" – meaning say e no be way to return permanent ownership back to Ghana.

Di three-year loan agreements, wit option to extend am for anoda three years, no be wit Ghana goment but wit Otumfo Osei Tutu II - di current Asante king wey dem sabi as Asantehene – wey bin attend di Coronation of King Charles last year.

Asantehene still dey hold influential ceremonial role, although im kingdom na now part of Ghana modern democracy.

Dem go display di items for Manhyia Palace Museum for Kumasi, di capital of di Asante region, to celebrate di Asantehene silver jubilee.

Di Asante gold artefacts na di ultimate symbol of Asante royal goment and di believe be say dem dey connected wit di spirits of former Asante kings.

You fit compare how important for Ghana wit di Benin Bronzes - thousands of sculptures and plaques wey Britain move from di palace of di Kingdom of Benin, wey dey for modern-day southern Nigeria.

Nigeria don dey call make dem return dem for many years now.

Nana Oforiatta Ayim, special adviser to Ghana culture minister, tell BBC: "Dem no just be objects, dem get spiritual importance too. Dem be part of di soul of di kontri. Na part of oursef dey return."

She say di loan na "a good starting point" on di anniversary of di looting and "sign of some kain healing and memorial for di violence wey bin happun".

UK museums still dey hold many more items wey dem take from Ghana, including one gold trophy head wey dey among di most famous pieces of Asante symbols of office.

Asante pipo bin build wetin bin be one of di most powerful and impressive states for west Africa, wey bin trade, among oda tins, gold, textiles and slaves.

Di kingdom bin popular popular sake of im military power and wealth. Even now, wen di Asantehene shake hand on official occasions, di weight of di heavy gold bracelets fit pull am down, sotey im get man wey im work na to support im hand.

Europeans bin dey attracted to wia dem later name Gold Coast through stories of African wealth and Britain fight many battles wit Asante for di 19th Century.

For 1874 afta one Asante attack, British troops launch wetin dem describe as "punishment mission", according to di colonial language dat time,

Dem ransack Kumasi and carry many of di palace treasures.

Most of di items wey V&A dey return na from auction dem buy am on 18 April 1874 for Garrards, di London jewellers wey dey maintain UK Crown Jewels.

Dem include three heavy cast-gold items wey dem sabi as soul washers badges (Akrafokonmu), wey dem dey wear for neck of officials wey get high rank for palace, wey dey responsible for cleansing di soul of di king.

Angus Patterson, one senior curator for V&A, say taking di items for di 19th Century "no be just to gada wealth, although dat na na part of am. Na also about removing di symbol of goment or symbols of authority. E bin be very political act".

British Museumdey also return on loan total of 15 items, some of dem bin move dem for war wey occur later for 1895-96, including one sword of state say dem sabi as Mpomponsuo.

E also get one ceremonial cap, wey dem dey call Denkyemke, dem decorate well wit gold ornaments.

Na senior official for court officials dey wear am during coronations and oda major festivals.

Di British Museum dey also lend one cast-gold model lute-harp (Sankuo), wey dem no loot, show im almost 200-year-old connection wit Asantehenes.

Dem present di sankuo to di British writer and diplomat Thomas Bowdich for 1817, wey say e bin gift from di Asantehene to di museum to show di wealth and status of di Asante nation.

'Cut through di politics'

You fit loan item to kontri wey say you steal am from dem?

Dis na solution to UK legal restrictions wey fit no dey acceptable to kontris wey say dem want make dem correct di wrong wey happun for history.

Di issue of di Parthenon Sculptures, or Elgin Marbles as dme call am for UK, na di best example.

For long time now, Greece don dey demand make dem return dis classical sculptures wey dem display for British Museum. Im chair of trustees, George Osborne, recently say im dey look for "practical, pragmatic and rational way forward" and im dey try see weda dem go fit do collabo wey, in essence, go put di question of who actually own di classical sculptures one side.

Dis agreement wit Asantehene na anoda version of dis; compromise wey work for di Asante king and e possible witin parameters of British law.

Just as Nigeria fit to accept loan of Benin Bronzes, e for hard for Ghana goment to accept dis kain agreement.

But Hunt say di deal between V&A, British Museum and Manhyia Palace Museum "cut through di politics. E no solve di problem, but e don begin di conversation".

Madam Oforiatta Ayim, di Ghana culture minister adviser, say "of course" pipo go dey angry by di idea of loan and dem hope to see say eventually di items return permanently to Ghana.

"We know say dem still di items in violent circumstances, we know say di items belong to Asante pipo," she say.

Di British goment get one "retain and explain" position for institutions wey belong to goment, dis mean say dem go keep di items wey dem dey drag and dem go explain dia situation.

Neither Conservative nor Labour parties don show any interest to change di current legislation.

Di British Museum Act of 1963 and di National Heritage Act of 1983 prevent museum trustees for some high-profile institutions from "officially removing" items from dia collections.

Hunt dey campaign make dem change di law. Im go like see "more freedom for museums, but wit one coma, committee wia we go fit to appeal if we wan to return di items wey items".

Some don raise concern say dis go mean say British museums go lose some of dia most expensive items for future.

Or as di former culture secretary, Michelle Donelan, put am to me as par for di return of di Parthenon Sculptures, e go "open di gate to question of all di items wey dey for our museums".

But Hunt say dem dey drag ownership of very few of di V&A collection of 2.8 million items.

Anoda fear be say, dis items wey dem dey drag or contest, if dem go on loan dem fit no ever return dem.

Ghana chief negotiator Ivor Agyeman-Duah scata dis tok. "You stick to agreements wey you get, you no go go against dem," im say.

E get oda beautiful Asante gold items inside UK.

Di Wallace Collection include di trophy head wey dey among di most famous Asante treasures.

Di British forces bin take dis one too and dem sell am for di 1874 auction.

Di Royal Collection also get items wey include anoda gold trophy head in di form of a mask.

Dis kain item bin represent enemies wey dem defeat; dem bin dey attach di trophies to ceremonial swords for di state regalia.

Dem go ever be on show for Ghana for future? Agyeman-Duah dey take am one step at a time.

But as Britain dey face confrontations sake of im cultural legacy from im colonial past, dis kain agreements fit be diplomatic and practical way to address di past and create better relationships for di future - if both sides fit accept di terms.