When Prempeh I was enstooled as Asantehene in 1888, the British presence on the Gold Coast of Africa loomed large. Just a decade earlier, Sir Garnet Wolseley’s forces had sacked Kumasi, sparking the “Sagrenti War.”

Despite Prempeh’s plea not to exile him and his people, British troops under Sir Francis Scott marched into Kumasi in 1895, looting and burning the royal palace. Among the stolen items was the Golden Stool, a sacred symbol of Asante identity.

Barnaby Phillips’ “The African Kingdom of Gold” delves into this history, detailing how British colonial forces systematically plundered the Asante people. The story of the stolen gold and artifacts continues to echo through time, with the Asante people still awaiting justice.