Ghana’s Call for Return of Ancestral Remains from UK Institutions

Wɔatwerɛ nsɛm wei wɔ Asante Twi mu

Mfeɛ kakra a atwam ni no, Ghana akɔ so abɔ mmɔden sɛ wɔbɛsan de wɔn nananom a wɔtenaa ase wɔ tete mmerɛ mu a wɔakora wɔn ho wɔ nnwumakuo ne nwomasua mu wɔ United Kingdom no. Saa nnompe yi a wɔyii no wɔ Britain nnisoɔ ase no yɛ tete akannifoɔ, ahemfo, ne honhom mu nnipa a wɔfiri mmusua ahodoɔ mu, titire Asantefoɔ. Ghana ntoa a wɔbɔ no yɛ wiase nyinaa mmɔdemmɔ a ɛfa sɛ wɔbɛsan agye Afrika agyapadeɛ, wɔasiesie abakɔsɛm mu ntɛnkyea, na wɔayi tete nnoɔma akorae no afiri hɔ no fa.

 Nkorɔfo a wɔsɛee wɔn wɔ nkoasom berɛ mu ne nnipa nnompe 
Berɛ a Britainfoɔ baa ɛnnɛ wɔfrɛ hɔ Ghana no, na wɔtaa ko tia ahemman a ɛwɔ hɔ no, titire Asante Ahemman no. Saa akodie ahodoɔ yi, a na Sagrenti Ɔko a esii wɔ afe 1874 mu (Anglo-Asante Ɔko a Ɛto so Mmiɛsa) ka ho no, maa wɔfomm ahemfie ne mmeae kronkron. Ɛne sika kɔkɔɔ ahyɛnsodeɛ ne nnoɔma a wɔde yɛ amanneɛ, British asraafo yii nnipa nnompe, a Asante ahemfo ne akofoɔ a wɔkyeree wɔn mpokyerɛ ne nnompe ka ho, a akyiri yi wɔde kɔɔ Britain sukuu ahodoɔ mu kɔsuae ho adeɛ anaa wɔde yɛɛ akodie agyapadeɛ.

Wɔnim sɛ wɔde saa nnompe yi asie mmeaeɛ bi wɔ Britain, a ebi ne Natural History Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, ne Cambridge Suapɔn mu. Wɔde saa nnompe yi mu pii dii dwuma wɔ mmusuakuo ho nyansahu ne nnipa ho adesua mu wɔ nnommumfa mmere mu, mpɛn pii a na wɔn a wɔfaa wɔn fii hɔ no nnim anaa wɔn ani nsɔ ho.

 Ntoa a Ghana bɔ faa nnoɔma a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde ba wɔn man mu 

 Aban ne ahemfo mpanimfoɔ a wɔde wɔn ho agye mu 
Ghana Nsrahwɛ, Adwinne ne Amammerɛ Asoɛe, ne Ghana Nnwumakuo a Ɛhwɛ Nkaedum ne Nkaedum (GMMB), ne United Kingdom agyinatufoɔ abɔ nkɔmmɔ a ɛfa amammerɛ mu nnoɔma ne nnipa nkaedum a wɔbɛsan de aba no ho. Wɔ afe 2019 mu no, Ghana aban no hyɛɛ bɔ sɛ ɔbɛsan de agyapadeɛ a wɔawia no nyinaa, a wɔn nananom nnompe ka ho, akɔ wɔn kurom.

Atetesɛm mu atumfoɔ, titire Asante ahemfie a ɛwɔ Kumasi no, aka nsɛm a ɛte saa. Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, bisaa tẽẽ akyerɛ Britain nnwumakuo no sɛ wɔnsan mfa nsɛsodeɛ kronkron ne nnipa nnompe mma wɔn, na ɔkyerɛɛ sɛ wɔn nsɛsodeɛ no ho hia paa na ama wɔatumi de amammerɛ mu anidie aba hɔ na wɔatumi ayɛ honhom mu amanne a wɔagyae no akyɛ.

 Nsɛm a Wɔka Ne Nkɔso a Ɛfata 
Wɔ afe 2023 mu no, berɛ a amanaman no de wɔn ani sii Benin Bronzes no a wɔde maa Nigeria no so no, Ghana bɔɔ mpaeɛ sɛ wɔmfa Asante nananom nnompe no mfiri London Natural History Museum no hɔ. Wɔ mmuaeɛ no mu no, tete nneɛma akoraeɛ no gye toom sɛ ɛkura nnipa nkaeɛ pii a wɔfiri Ghana, a ebi ne nkaeɛ a wɔato din sɛ "kranko a wɔnnim baabi a ɛfi" a wɔfiri afeha a ɛtɔ so 19 no, na wɔhyɛɛ bɔ sɛ wɔbɛhwɛ sɛ wɔbɛsan de nnipa nkaeɛ no akɔ ɔman no mu wɔ ne mmara mu.

Bio nso, Pitt Rivers Museum wɔ Oxford, a wonim no sɛ nnipa nkae a wɔaboaboa ano a wɔgye akyinnye, gye toom sɛ wɔwɔ nnompe mu nneɛma a efi Ghana, a seesei wɔresua baabi a ɛfiri.

 Amammerɛ ne honhom mu mfasoɔ a  ɛwɔ san a wɔbɛsan de aba no mu 
Wɔ Akanfoɔ ne Ghanafoɔ honhom fam amanneɛ afoforɔ mu no, nananom yɛ kronkron, na sɛ obi wu a, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsie no yie na ama asomdwoeɛ atena ɔbra no mu na asomdwoeɛ atena ɔman no mu. Nnipa nnompe a wɔayi afi baabi a wɔsom no nyɛ amammerɛ ne honhom fam gyinapɛn ahodoɔ a wɔbu so kɛkɛ, na mmom ɛyɛ awerɛhosɛm a ɛtra hɔ daa ma wɔn asefo nso.

Enti ɛnyɛ mmara mu anaa amanne mu adeyɛ nko na wobu wɔn a wɔresan aba wɔn man mu no, na mmom wobu no sɛ honhom fam ne abrabɔ fam asɛyɛde a emu dɔ. Saa nnompe yi a wɔde bɛsan aba no ma wotumi yɛ nananom amanne ahorow, ayiyɛ ahorow, na wɔsan de nea wawu no ka wiase nhyehyɛe no ho.

 Mmara ne abrabɔ ho nhyehyɛeɛ 
Amanaman ntam apam ahodoɔ ne abrabɔ pa akwankyerɛ ahodoɔ, a ebi ne:

 UNESCO 1970 Nhyehyɛe a Ɛko Tia Amammerɛ Ho Nneɛma a Wɔde Kɔ Obi Nkyɛn
 Amanaman Nkabom Amanneɛbɔ a Ɛfa Aborɔfo Ahofadi Ho (The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) (2007)
 The UK Human Tissue Act (2004), a ɛma kwan ma nnwumakuw sɛ wɔnsan mfa nnipa nnompe a wonnii mfe 100 mma

Ɛwom sɛ nkae no mu pii yɛ dedaw de, nanso UK tete nneɛma akorae wɔ tumi a ɛreyɛ kɛse a wɔde bɛsan de nkae no aba ɔman no mu sɛnea abrabɔ mu nhwehwɛmu ne nhyehyɛe a wɔne wɔn a wɔde kɔ no yɛ no kyerɛ.

 Ɔhaw ahodoɔ ne kwan a wɔbɛsɔ ano 
Berɛ a UK agyinatufoɔ binom de wɔn ho hyɛ nkɔmmɔbɔ mu no, nsɛnnennen da so wɔ hɔ:

 Baabi a wɔfiri: Wɔaka nnompe pii ho asɛm wɔ ɔkwan a ɛnteɛ so anaasɛ wɔde nsɛm a emu nna hɔ anaa nnipa mu nyiyim ho nsɛm akyerɛkyerɛ mu
 Mmara mu nsɛm a emu nna hɔ: Sɛnea Britain mmara kyerɛ no, ɛyɛ den sɛ obi bɛyɛ obi a ɔno na ɔyɛ obi
 Akwan a wɔfa so yɛ adwuma: Ghana hia nnwinnade ne nimdeɛ pii a wɔde bɛgye wɔn a wɔasan de wɔn akɔ wɔn kurom no na wɔahwɛ wɔn so

Nanso, adwuma a ɛrekɔ so - te sɛ International Inventories Programme ne nkɔmmɔbɔ a ɛrekɔ so wɔ Ghana nhomanimfo ne UK nwomasuabea ntam no - kyerɛ sɛ nsi a wɔhyɛ sɛ wɔbɛsan agye wɔn a wɔn ho aka no.

 Mmoano 
Ghana frɛ a wɔfrɛɛ no sɛ wɔnsan mfa wɔn nananom nnompe mfi UK nnwuma mu no kyerɛ sɛ ɛyɛ adeyɛ a tumi wom a wɔde hwehwɛ amammerɛ, honhom mu ayaresa, ne abakɔsɛm mu atɛntrenee. Bere a kwan a ɛde wɔn bɛkɔ wɔn ankasa man mu no yɛ den no, ɔpɛ a UK agyinatufo no wɔ sɛ wɔne wɔn bɛkasa, ne Ghana nkitahodi a emu yɛ den ne wɔn a wɔtaa wɔn akyi no, ma wonya anidaso sɛ wɔbɛsan de wɔn akɔ wɔn ankasa man mu. Bere a wiase nyinaa rehu sɛ amammerɛ mu ntɛnkyea rekɔ so no, Ghana nananom a wɔsan bae no betumi ayɛ ade titiriw a ɛbɛma wɔatumi anya asomdwoe na wɔanya amammerɛ mu ahofadi.

 Mmeaeɛ a menyaa mmoa firiiɛ 
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