ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Seven royal artifacts looted 150 years ago by British colonial forces from Ghana’s ancient Asante kingdom and kept by a United States museum have been returned and presented to the kingdom on Thursday, the latest of a series of stolen treasured items being repatriated to several African countries. After decades of resistance from European and Western governments and museums, the efforts of African countries to repatriate stolen artifacts are paying off with the increasing return of treasured pieces. That was when four of the items were looted while the other three were part of an indemnity payment made by the Asante kingdom to the British, the museum said. All seven items are being returned unconditionally and permanently though the kingdom allowed their replicas to be made, the museum added. “And ever since, as a kid, I had the vision that one day we shall have all these artifacts back to our Asante nation.”

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Persons: Otumfuo Osei Tutu, Asante, ”, Kwasi Ampene, Silvia Forni, Samuel Opoku Acheampong, Acheampong Organizations: United, Fowler Museum, University of California, Asante Locations: ACCRA, Ghana, United States, British, Los Angeles, Asanteman, Ghana’s, Kumasi, Asante