I will be talking Asante, colonial loot, Britain's imperial legacy & museums in Accra, Weds 11th 6pm. Si Hene Foundation. Can't wait to discuss these issues with a Ghanaian audience. share.google/sqM7A49jbm1c...

Imperial legacies v much in the news this week...do come to Mansfield College Oxford Uni, for a discussion on empire, Africa, museums Friday Nov 6th 5.30 pm www.mansfield.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

The African Kingdom of Gold - Mansfield College

mansfield.ox.ac.uk

From this devoted user/friend/member of the British Library, this feels spot on, www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

If British Library reading rooms become ‘co-working spaces’, it’s all too easy to imagine what comes next | Andy Beckett

The plan to generate revenue from areas currently used by the public is causing bitter dispute, and raises fundamental questions, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett

theguardian.com

This is bad faith posting. That was one entry in a live stream at 03.25 in the morning. It’s not how they framed the results. It’s not the headline. It is, however, a statement of fact. You are contributing to the degradation of debate, more so than the BBC here www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...

Labour wins Holborn and St Pancras by-election, beating Greens

The chair of the Jewish Greens says leader Zack Polanski should go over his handling of the Green Party's motion declaring Zionism a form of racism.

bbc.co.uk

Complicated legacies at the National Museum Lagos. Superb Benin Bronze display (but sadly few visitors), a dig at the British Museum, and Her Majesty (sculpted by Ben Enwonwu) #Nigeria

That phrase 'gutter contrarianism bred by the social media attention economy' is a masterclass in meaning with brevity. www.thetimes.com/article/02eb...

Why there’s a new battle raging over the Second World War

The allied victory of 1945 is the founding myth of the liberal western order, something despised by the new radical right

thetimes.com

This is such a shock. Mark was a legend in Africa. He had huge respect and empathy for the people he reported on. He'll be missed across the continent, but perhaps especially in Sierra Leone www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Veteran BBC Africa correspondent Mark Doyle dies

Doyle was best known for reporting on African conflicts in the 1990s and 2000s, notably in Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

bbc.co.uk

Very excited to go back to Lagos for this. Should be a cracker

In 2024 the BM & V&A returned looted treasures to Asante, Ghana, albeit on loan. I'm talking with the director of the Asantehene museum and ex-BM curator who crafted this historic deal. Tues Sept 15th, National Liberal Club, Whitehall. 6pm. Free, must register members.nlc.org.uk/web/pages/ev....

In the book “The African Kingdom of Gold,” Barnaby Phillips explores how British colonial forces plundered the Asante people and expertly traces the stolen artifacts’ afterlives in museum storage.

Why Won’t Britain Return Looted Gold to Ghana?

In “The African Kingdom of Gold,” Barnaby Phillips explores how British colonial forces plundered the Asante people and expertly traces the stolen artifacts’ afterlives in museum storage.

hyperallergic.com

Cundhill History Prize long list 🗃️ publishingperspectives.com/2026/07/long...

Longlist Announced for the 2026 Cundill History Prize - Publishing Perspectives

The world’s leading prize for a work of history written or translated into English, the Cundill History Prize today announced its 2026 longlist of 15 books, chosen from almost 400 submissions from acr...

publishingperspectives.com

Delighted, a little amazed, to be on the list for such a prestigious prize, alongside such fantastic books from around the world. 'The world's leading prize for a work of history written or translated into English.' www.cundillprize.com/news/the-202...

A recent book by Barnaby Phillips follows the many twists and turns of the royal treasures Britain took from the Asante kingdom in the 19th century.

In search of Ghana’s looted Asante gold

Barnaby Phillips‘s new book following the twists and turns of the royal treasures Britain took from the Asante kingdom is a tour de force of provenance research, writes Samuel Reilly

buff.ly

'This enthralling book outlines the long, complex and still contested history of the looted objects as it traces the extraordinary consequences of British imperial larceny.' Thank you African Business Magazine! african.business/2026/07/arts...

Book review: African treasures, British loot - African Business

Stephen Williams is enthralled by this account of how the British empire looted Asante treasure - and how some of it has been returned.

african.business

The looting of Kumasi 1874 & 1896. The British Museum & V&A have now returned some gold treasures to Ghana, albeit on loan. A unique chance to hear from the 2 men who negotiated this extraordinary deal, at the NLC 15/9/26. Book here⬇️ members.nlc.org.uk/web/pages/ev...

‘People with a background in investigative journalism should be employed to do provenance research more often.’ Samuel Reilly admires a new book that meticulously traces the histories of the royal treasures Britain took from the Asante kingdom in the 19th century

In search of Ghana’s looted Asante gold

Barnaby Phillips‘s new book following the twists and turns of the royal treasures Britain took from the Asante kingdom is a tour de force of provenance research, writes Samuel Reilly

buff.ly

I'm talking about the British in Africa, colonial loot, and Asante at the @chalkefestival.bsky.social near Salisbury Friday 26th June 18.45 with @afuahirsch.bsky.social & Lindsey Hilsum. Do join us - in fact the whole festival has an incredible range of events www.chalkefestival.com

I suggest that this guy goes and tells the violent racist rioters to their faces that 'all they want to be is Irish'

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5mo ago

Kilmeade to an agreeing Markwayne Mullin: "In Belfast they're standing up because their leaders have let them down. They're trying to take their country back. They want to label them as racist. All they want to be is Irish. They want Ireland back. I see a lot of the same fights here."

Everyone interested in #Nigeria should see this film. June 12th! www.sheffdocfest.com/film/mko

MKO | Sheffield DocFest

no synopsis available

sheffdocfest.com

What future for Africa's elephants? Come to my City Lit lecture this Friday 12th June, 12.45 p.m www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/wild...

Wildlife Lunchtime Lecture: Elephant conservation in Africa | Business, marketing & technology course | London

<p>The ivory trade ban has stopped the mass slaughter of Africa’s elephants, but elephants and people are increasingly in conflict over land and resourc...

citylit.ac.uk

A wonderful retrospective of the art of Phyllis Bray (1911-1991), my grandmother, in Hackney until June 21st. 'a rare opportunity to reassess the breadth of her practice and her lasting impact on twentieth-century British painting.' www.batsfordgallery.com/whats-on-1/p...

Phyllis Bray: Myth & Nature — The Batsford Gallery

Batsford Gallery is delighted to announce Phyllis Bray: Myth &amp; Nature , the UK’s first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of Phyllis Bray (1911–1991), a significant figure in modern British a...

batsfordgallery.com

'The African Kingdom of Gold stands as an important contribution to scholarship on empire, cultural heritage, and historical justice..... making a compelling case for confronting the past with clarity, honesty, and rigorous research' .Thank you Black Wall St Media! blackwallst.media/afterlives-o...

Afterlives of Looted Heritage - Black Wall St Media

Barnaby Phillips’s The African Kingdom of Gold: Britain and the Asante Treasure is a timely exploration of empire, cultural loss, and restitution. Combining meticulous research with compelling storyte...

blackwallst.media

That was painful but not the despair of '06. A young team, a wonderful manager, the future is ours. Proud of these players and I felt lucky to be there #COYG

Arsenal season ticket holders- don't give up on the official UEFA resale site for Budapest. I failed in the ballot...checked the site forlornly/sporadically for a few days, and suddenly a Euro 70 ticket popped up!

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48411/...

Swifts over the lake, it's been a great week #NorthLondonForwver.

Thrilled to be at the Notting Hill Festival this Saturday. Do come along !

The Benin Bronzes, the British Museum, and the Benin Massacre Podcast by Barnaby Phillips and Max Siollun lawakhigbe.com/2026/04/29/t...

The Benin Bronzes, the British Museum, and the Benin Massacre Podcast by Barnaby Phillips and Max Siollun

Historical Context: The Benin Kingdom and the 1897 Events The Kingdom of Benin flourished for centuries (roughly 13th–19th centuries) as a major power in the region, with a highly organized court, …

lawakhigbe.com

Arsenal. History beckons. Gyökeres a lion tonight.

'In his final days he received a rarely-presented medal from the museum in recognition of what its director called his "very significant contribution".' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ittai Gradel: Antiquities dealer who exposed British Museum thefts dies aged 61

Dr Ittai Gradel made global headlines after exposing the thefts of many artefacts from the British Museum.

bbc.co.uk