The African Kingdom of Gold : Britain and the Asante Treasure

Gold, greed, empire – the hidden history of Britain’s stolen West African treasure

Power. Empire. Plunder. The forgotten history of Britain and the Asante gold.

Kumasi is burning. British soldiers prowl the streets, stoking the fires. The royal palace is filled with explosives and razed, but not before its most precious occupants are rescued – gold, lots of it.

There is an abua or peace pipe, almost a metre long. Countless rings and amulets, each meticulously crafted. Finials, shaped like swooping eagles, and a mpomponsou – a ceremonial sword – its sheath and pommel wrapped in leopard skin. A coiled serpent, wrought in gold, hangs from the sheath. They are destined for Britain’s most prominent museums – the V&A, the Wallace Collection, the British Museum.

Tracing the course of Britain’s wars with the Asante Empire alongside the course of its plundered relics, Barnaby Phillips weaves a thrilling tale of colonial expansion, resistance and stolen treasure. Travelling from the Gold Coast to the heart of Empire, The African Kingdom of Gold reveals the surprising connections between Britain today and its nineteenth-century exploits.