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The African Kingdom of Gold
Britain and the Asante Treasure
Brief Description
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....
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See moreGold, greed, empire – the hidden history of Britain’s stolen West African treasure
Gold, greed, empire – the hidden history of Britain’s stolen West African treasure
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Description
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.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781836431336
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 05 March 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Oneworld Publications
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 36.0mm
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 416
About the Author
Barnaby Phillips spent over twenty-five years as a journalist, reporting for the BBC from Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa before joining Al Jazeera English. He is the author of Another Man’s War: The Story of a Burma Boy in Britain’s Forgotten African Army and Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes. He grew up in Kenya and now lives in London.
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