According to the BBC’s report, Ghana’s Ashanti King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who attended the coronation of King Charles III of England, met with British Museum Director Hartwig Fischer.
During the meeting, Tutu asked the British Museum to return the gold smuggled from the Asante Palace in Kumasi during the war with the British in 1874.
Fischer said he was “exploring the possibility of loaning the gold artifacts” to Ghana.
In 1974, the government of Ghana made an official request from the then Ashanti King, asking for the return of gold pieces, clothing and other valuables taken by British soldiers in 1874, 1896 and 1900.
The British Museum states that since then it has been working to establish a positive and continuous cooperation with the Manhyia Palace Museum, which describes the Ashanti King and Asante tribe culture in Ghana.
The museum has been under increasing pressure in recent years to return the artifacts from its collection to countries where it was smuggled.
Although African countries such as Nigeria have been insisting that historical artifacts smuggled during the colonial period be returned to their country of origin, the British government is resisting these demands.