Inside are spirits... The mystery of an ancient vessel stolen by the British from Ghana

Written by: Ayman Ragab

The Ashanti Kingdom vessel remains a great mystery to many citizens in Ghana, amid beliefs that the spirits of members of the famous Ashanti Kingdom reside within it.

In the British Museum, in a section entitled “The Ashanti Jug”, is displayed the “Aya Kesi” vessel, which is believed to have been made in Europe, transported to the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana, and then looted by British forces in the late nineteenth century. It is now in a British Museum.

Aya Casey's bowl

Despite its fame, it remains unclear exactly where this huge copper basin, decorated with lion statues, was made in Northern Europe, and how it came to the Ashanti kingdom in West Africa centuries ago.

This basin is currently on temporary display at the British Museum, but it is owned by the National Army Museum in London.

The curators of the British Museum believe it was made in England, the Netherlands or Germany, and it is likely to date back to the 16th century AD.

It is noted that the Ashanti Kingdom was a powerful historical empire of the Akan people.

Its original home was West Africa (present-day Ghana), where it was founded in the 17th century AD, and today it is a traditional constitutional monarchy within the country.

Ghanaian treasures returning from Britain

In May 2024, gold necklaces, a sword, a royal chair and dozens of other treasures looted during British colonial rule were displayed in Ghana for the first time since their historic return.

“The elements that have returned are in fact the spirit of the Ashanti people,” the king said at the exhibition, which coincided with his silver jubilee.

The gold collections were looted during the British colonization of Ghana from 1821 to 1957, with much of it being captured in fierce battles with the Ashanti Kingdom and placed in museums.

The British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Fowler Museum at the University of California returned the artifacts in 2024 as part of a growing global trend to reassess the colonial legacy.

Ashantini said that negotiations to return these artifacts took more than 50 years.