Accra, Ghana \u2014 July 21, 2025- The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has formally inaugurated a focal team committed to the restitution and reparation of looted cultural artifacts, reinforcing its stance on reclaiming historical identity and cultural pride. At the ceremony, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie emphasized that the effort is not solely about retrieving \u201cold things,\u201d but about restoring identity, history, and national dignity.<\/p>\n
Addressing members, Hon. Gomashie stressed the role of youth in understanding their heritage. \u201cThe youth must understand that you cannot look forward without knowing where you are coming from,\u201d she stated, affirming that the recovery of artifacts provides a bridge across generations, linking Ghana\u2019s past with its present and future.
\nShe underscored the broader significance of the initiative, calling it a \u201ccultural and moral commitment.\u201d bemoaning the long-standing absence of sacred and symbolic objects in Ghana, many of which remain in foreign institutions because of colonial exploitation.<\/p>\n
Professor Kojo Gavua, a renowned Archeologist from the University of Ghana, highlighted the team\u2019s groundwork through regional workshops and public engagement initiatives. These included gatherings in Cape Coast, Bolgatanga, Ho, and a major international workshop in Accra.
\nAccording to him, progress has been made with global partners leading to the Durban Museum in South Africa offering to return two Asante artifacts\u2014a traditional stool and a shrine figure and the Fowler Museum in the United States recently repatriated a gold item and has shown willingness to return more.<\/p>\n
The National Museum of the Netherlands has submitted a catalog of Ghanaian-origin items for consideration as well. He also announced that Ghana is also participating in a German committee revising policies around cultural returns, particularly in relation to looted artifacts from kpando.
\nUNESCO representative Mr. Carl Ampah praised Ghana\u2019s leadership in ratifying international conventions that prohibit illicit trade in cultural property. He noted that these legal frameworks now empower the country to formally request the return of its heritage.<\/p>\n
The focal team led by Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, sector Minister, professor Kodzo Gavua, University of Ghana, Mr. Mohammed Seidu, Representative of the Ministry of Forign Affairs, Mrs. Daphne Akonor, Attorney Generals Department, Mr. Richrad Obeng Boafo, Ministry of local Government, Decentralization and rural Development, Dr. Aba Mansa Eyifa-Dzidzienyo, University of Ghana, Mr. Edmond Moukala- UNESCO, Mr. Kwesi Essel Blankson, GMMB, Professor Wazi Apoh, University of Ghana and Mr. Divine Kwame Owusu Ansah, MoTCCA will lead national efforts to identify, document, and negotiate the return of sacred regalia and historic items seized during the colonial era. Their work aims to support wider calls for reparative justice and address historical wounds left by the loss of cultural property. Drawing from international support\u2014including ECOWAS, the African Union, and UNESCO\u2014Ghana\u2019s renewed drive is part of a broader African movement demanding cultural restitution.
\nSource: Mabel Delassie Awuku- Public Relations -MoTCCA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Accra, Ghana \u2014 July 21, 2025- The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has formally inaugurated a focal team committed to the restitution and reparation of looted cultural artifacts, reinforcing its stance on reclaiming historical identity and cultural pride. At the ceremony, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie emphasized…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates","category-1","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6392,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6391\/revisions\/6392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motcca.gov.gh\/motcca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}