The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei II, has honoured 10 artists at the Manhyia Palace as part of the 2025 Inaugural Artist Laureates, themed “Our Old Masters” on May 23, 2025, in Kumasi.
The awardees are Professor Ablade Glover, Professor Ato Delaquis, El Anatsui, Francis Kwatei Nee-Owoo, Frances Ademola, Peggy Appiah, Kwame Akoto, and three others.
The ceremony, held in collaboration with the Manhyia Palace and UNESCO, recognised the artists’ lifetime contributions to African art and history, aiming to inspire a new generation of practitioners in traditional and digital arts. This event marks the beginning of a decade-long initiative to honour industry leaders and inspire professionals, including those in digital arts.
This ceremony marks the launch of a decade-long initiative to recognise industry leaders and inspire a new generation of professionals, including those in digital arts.
Speaking at the event, Otumfuo Osei II, emphasised the critical role art plays in shaping Ghanaian societies, especially among ethnic groups, from the pre-colonial era till date.
“Art as we know it played a critical and functional role in the formation of societies and among virtually all the ethnic groups in Ghana from pre-colonial times through the cultural imperialism that followed and our terms of a nation from 1957.
“Our first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, used it to unify this country and supported some of the great artists we came to know and who defined vision for us, the symbol of our new independence,” he said.
In attendance were the Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori-Agyemang Boadi, representing the Ashanti Regional minister, UNESCO and the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, HE Irchad Razaaly and envoys from ten embassies and a host of dignitaries.
The event seeks to attract policymakers and art enthusiasts from Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and a delegation from the Republic of Seychelles.
