Manhyia Palace Museum reopens

A ceremony has been held at Manhyia to reopen the Manhyia Palace Museum as part of activities marking the Asantehene’s Silver Jubilee.

The facility, one of Ghana’s major tourism destinations, was temporarily closed for some works to be undertaken to improve services to the numerous tourists, both local and international, who visit the Museum.

Restored treasures  

The museum now showcases the restored treasures looted during the Sagrenti War. So far, four British institutions, in a landmark agreement, have returned 32 royal treasures plundered from the Asante Kingdom some 150 years ago.

Front view of the refurbished Manhyia Palace

The artefacts, which include 15 items from the British Museum and 17 from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), are now at the Manhyia Palace Museum on a three-year loan agreement.

The Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles, also repatriated seven artefacts in February this year. They include the sword of state, known as “Mpomponsuo”, gold badges of officials authorised to purify the king’s soul, and a gold lute harp presented a British diplomat, Thomas Edward Bowdich, by the Asantehene, Osei Bonsu, during a trade treaty in 1817, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the splendour of Ashanti history and culture.

Event

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, yesterday cut the tape for the official “Reopening of Manhyia Palace Museum and Asante Regalia Homecoming Exhibition”, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

 Some of the artefacts displayed at the Manhyia Museum

Also present were the Manhyia Palace Museum's Director and chief negotiator for the Asantehene, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, and some representatives from the partner museums in Britain.

Otumfuo led the delegation to take a tour of the exhibited artefacts in the museum.

Open market

The Asantehene, in a remark, said the artefacts displayed at the museum were indeed a reflection of his forefathers, who through ‘thick and thin’ suffered for the liberation of the Asantes.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll, admiring some of the framed photographs in the museum

He said the ongoing negotiations with other foreign museums were in the right direction, and that they would go a long way to create a open market opportunities for local artisans and boost the local economy.

The King has, therefore, implored the Manhyia Palace Museum to partner the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and international partners to develop a programme to support the training of Arts in Ghana.

The Otumfuo said as part of his upcoming visits to England to continue with negotiations, he would be interacting with some Ghanaian artists - painters and sculptors, among others, to bring their expertise on board to support this initiative to put Ghana and Africa on the international market.

He said through grants from the traditional community, people would be able to harness their business potential through arts and culture. Two books, A History of Manhyia Palace by Ivor Agyeman-Dua and Images of Ghana, written by Malcom Donard McLeod, were also launched at the event in commemoration of the Asantehene’s Silver Jubilee.