Lord Paul Boateng, a British politician of Ghanaian descent, has called on the British Museum to return artefacts taken from Ghana, Ethiopia and other countries, arguing that the institution must take concrete steps towards reparative justice.

He made the call in a video shared by the Daily Graphic on its Facebook page, where he criticised the museum for failing to make meaningful progress on the return of cultural objects and sacred relics taken from indigenous communities.

The asipim, sika mena and all the other things we know about the returned Ashanti artefacts

Describing the British Museum as “the largest depository of stolen goods known to man,” Lord Boateng said the institution continued to hold artefacts that belonged to communities across the world.

“The British Museum is the largest depository of stolen goods known to man. It's a charnel house, quite literally a charnel house, of bones and of relics that are sacred to our indigenous people globally,” he said.

According to him, discussions with the museum over the return of the artefacts have not produced the desired results, despite what he described as sustained efforts to engage its leadership.

“Where the British Museum has consistently failed to and ignored a dialogue which delivers, they've talked, and where they've been dragged kicking and screaming to the table, they've talked, but they have not delivered,” he stated.

Lord Boateng specifically called for the return of an Ethiopian tabot, a sacred object associated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, saying it should be returned the following year.

“So, if you're talking about reparative justice, I want next year the Ethiopian tabo to be returned. Next year,” he said.

He also demanded the return of the Benin Bronzes and the Ashanti gold, insisting that Ghanaian cultural objects taken during colonial-era violence should not merely be loaned back to their country of origin.

“Within the next couple of years, the Benin bronzes; I want the Ashanti gold not to be lent back. Ashanti was looted,” he said.

He further criticised the practice of lending looted artefacts to their original owners, arguing that such arrangements do not adequately address historical injustices.

“They have the gall to loan back to the king of the Ashanti the stuff they'd stolen in the first place,” Lord Boateng added.

Lord Boateng urged the British Museum's trustees and its supporters to take an active role in ensuring that the institution contributes to reparative justice.

He cited the Church of England and other institutions globally as examples of organisations that have engaged with the issue of historical accountability.

“I want the trustees of the British Museum and those of us who are friends of the British Museum to tell the trustees that they should be part and parcel of reparative justice,” he said.

He concluded his remarks with the call, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery,” emphasising the need to confront the continuing legacy of colonialism and the retention of cultural heritage taken from other societies.

NA/VPO

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