“An Act of Cultural Respect”: SA Mining Giant Returns Looted Treasure to Ghana
- AngloGold Ashanti, a South African mining company, returned over 130 gold and bronze artefacts to Asante king Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
- The items, dating back to the 1870s, include royal regalia, drums and ceremonial gold weights
- Among the returned treasures was a wooden drum believed to have been taken during the 1900 siege of Kumasi
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Source: Instagram
More than a century after they were taken, precious gold and bronze treasures have finally found their way back home to Ghana. The emotional ceremony at Manhyia Palace marked a turning point in efforts to right the wrongs of colonialism. According to ModernGhana, a historic collection of Asante gold and bronze artworks has officially been returned to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on 9 November 2025.
The collection includes 130 artefacts, some between 40 and 160 years old, which show the Asante Kingdom’s governance and the important role gold played in its culture and economy. The AngloGold Ashanti team was led by Stuart Bailey, the company’s Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer, and Samuel Boakye Pobee, Managing Director of the Obuasi Mine.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II thanked AngloGold Ashanti for returning the artefacts, even though they were legally acquired, seeing it as a sign of respect for Asante heritage.
Most of the items, 110 in total, came from the Barbier-Muller Museum in Geneva. These pieces were originally collected by Josef Muller starting in 1904. With this return, Kumasi now holds 140 restituted Asante artefacts.
Another 25 artefacts were donated by British art historian Hermione Waterfield, who helped set up the Tribal Art Department at Christie’s in London.
This return is part of a wider effort to bring back African artefacts taken during colonial times by European countries. In 2024, the Manhyia Palace Museum also received 67 cultural objects from museums such as the British Museum in London, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles.
Source: Instagram
Gold's importance in the Asante culture
According to Wikipedia, gold mining in Ghana has a long history, dating back to the 10th century. The Ashanti Region has played a central role in gold mining since the 19th century. The Ashanti Goldfields Corporation was established in 1897, marking the start of large-scale industrial gold mining in Ghana.
Ghana is now the largest producer of gold in Africa. In 2019, Ghana overtook South Africa as the leading gold producer on the continent, producing 142.4 tonnes of gold, representing 4.1% of global production. The gold mining sector now accounts for over 90% of the country's mineral exports and remains very important to Ghana's economy.
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Other stories of looting in South Africa
- Briefly News recently reported that a man in a TikTok video looked like he was proudly showing off stolen money in G4S bags.
- School children in Mamelodi went viral on social media after a video showed them taking advantage of a truck full of food from a feeding scheme delivery.
- A TikTok video of people coming across a broken-down Savanna delivery truck went viral as residents looted the beverage without paying.
Source: Briefly News
