V&A commission marks next phase of Ghana partnership

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has unveiled a new artwork to mark the next stage in its partnership with the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, Ghana.

The sculpture, Unity, is a collaboration between the Asante Royal Goldsmith Nana Poku Amponsah Dwumfour and British-Ghanaian designer Emefa Cole. It is on display in the Silver Galleries at the V&A’s South Kensington museum in London.

Kumasi is the home of the Asante king and the commission is part of a cultural partnership that saw Asante gold regalia from the V&A collection displayed in Ghana for the first time in 150 years as part of a long-term renewable loan agreement. 

The V&A holds a small but significant collection of Asante royal regalia, acquired in 1874 from items looted by British troops who raided Kumasi during the third of the so-called Anglo-Asante Wars. For the Asante, the gold regalia contains the spirits of former kings and carries meaning deeply embedded in Asante identity.

The commission continues the V&A’s Renewable Cultural Partnership with the Manhyia Palace Museum, acknowledging the history of conflict that brought both institutions together while pointing to a future based on cooperation and friendship.

V&A director Tristram Hunt said: “This unique collaboration between the Asante Royal Goldsmith and British-Ghanian designer and former V&A curator Emefa Cole has created a work rich in symbolism, which reflects on our shared history and Britain’s colonial past, while also looking towards a brighter future of friendship and co-operation.”

Unity is a bronze tree crowned by two leaves within a gold disc, and reflects the Asante people’s belief in gold as the essence of the sun and the material manifestation of life’s force. It also nods to the origins of the city of Kumasi, the Asante capital in Ghana, which translates to ‘under the Kum tree’.

Cole said: “This sculpture marks a momentous milestone in the ongoing collaboration between the V&A and Manhyia Palace. I am honoured to have worked alongside Nana on this project and extremely thankful to the Asantehene for his ongoing support and for granting me unprecedented access to the historic workshop and to the royal goldsmith."

A Renewable Cultural Partnership was established in 2023 following an official visit to London by the Asantehene (King of Asante) Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at which time he met with the leadership of the V&A and the British Museum.

The following year, all 17 items of Asante golden regalia in the V&A along with 16 from the British Museum went on show in Kumasi for the first time in 150 years. The gold was greeted personally by the King who opened the exhibition, titled Homecoming.