Manhyia Palace Museum to reopen on May 1, 2024

The museum will feature refurbished facilities and a new homecoming exhibition that will showcase historic Asante heirlooms and treasures to the public. This reopening marks a significant milestone in the cultural heritage of the Asante Kingdom.

The museum's new exhibition will include restored treasures that were looted during the Sagrenti War and have been recently returned on loan.

This includes 32 royal treasures plundered from the Asante Kingdom 150 years ago, featuring items from the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), and the Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles.

These treasures will be exhibited in their homeland for the first time in 150 years.

Ivor Agyeman-Duah, the Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, described the impact of these agreements as going beyond the Asante Kingdom, highlighting ongoing international movements to repatriate cultural artefacts to their rightful origins.

He emphasized the importance of these partnerships in renewing connections with Britain and the United States in the spirit of progress and cooperation.

The exhibition will offer visitors a rare glimpse into the splendor of Ashanti history and culture, featuring items such as the sword of state known as Mpomponsuo, the gold badges of officials, and a gold lute-harp presented by Asantehene Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich during an 1817 trade treaty.

These artifacts provide a unique opportunity to explore the rich history of the Asante Kingdom.

The Manhyia Palace Museum was originally opened by Otumfuo Opoku Ware II during his Silver Jubilee in 1995. It was built as the first Manhyia Palace by the British for Asantehene Nana Prempeh I in 1925, replacing the royal palace destroyed during the Yaa Asantewaa War in 1900.

The museum features expanded spaces, photographic displays, lifelike mannequins of Asantehenes and Asantehemaas, and narratives chronicling the legacy of the Asante kingdom, including its history with the British Empire.

The reopening of the Manhyia Palace Museum and the homecoming exhibition are significant steps in preserving and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Asante Kingdom.

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