Germany nears return of 4 colonial-era cultural objects to Ghana, Ambassador says

Maxwell Nyagamago 14:25 - 03 September 2026

Ambassador Frederik Landshöft presents President John Dramani Mahama with a catalogue documenting provenance research on four cultural objects from Kpando, including two war drums and two war horns.

The German Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Frederik Landshöft, has disclosed that Germany is working towards the return of cultural artefacts taken from Ghana during the colonial period.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pulse Ghana’s Maxwell Nyagamago, Ambassador Landshöft said Germany’s participation in the Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice in June 2026 provided an opportunity to highlight ongoing efforts to return some of the artefacts.

We as Germany have been part of the conference in June, the Next Steps Conference, presenting that we are already very close to returning some of those artefacts from, from the colonial period.

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The German Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Frederik Landshöft speaking in an interview with Pulse Ghana’s Maxwell Nyagamago

He said Germany’s efforts extend beyond the return of cultural objects, noting that the country is also supporting the restoration of cultural sites in Ghana and efforts to preserve memories of the colonial period, slavery and the slave trade.

We are investing a lot of money to, to restore, renovate cultural sites, to, to have an active remembrance culture inside of Ghana when it comes to the colonial past, to slavery or slave trade, and one of the fields where we are most active is the return of those goods.

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Four cultural objects from Kpando

Ambassador Landshöft speaks at the High-Level Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice

According to Ambassador Landshöft, four cultural objects from Kpando, comprising two war drums and two horns, have been the subject of provenance research to establish their history and identify the communities to which they belong.

At the conference, there was the symbolic gesture of handing over those four cultural goods. There were two war drums and two horns. So, some independent researchers looked into those objects: whom were they taken from? How did they come into German possession? Who are the ancestors of those from whom they were taken? Because if you want to return those goods, you don't want to return them to the wrong people.

At the June conference, Ambassador Landshöft presented President John Dramani Mahama with a catalogue documenting the results of provenance research into the four cultural objects from Kpando.

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The objects form part of the heritage of the Dagadu rulers of Kpando and are linked to important moments in the community's history.

The provenance research has sought to establish how the objects came into German possession during the colonial period, while providing the information needed to support their possible return to Ghana.

Germany has also established a Contact Point for collections from the colonial context and created a national online database aimed at improving transparency around such collections.

The country has further launched structured dialogues on the return of cultural objects with countries including Tanzania and Cameroon.