Nigeria's remarkable new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of local power politics during the time it was scheduled to – but failed – to open its doors to the general public for the very first time.
The Ambitious Project
The 15-acre complex sits in the core of Benin's urban center, capital of the southern region of Edo – and features an excavation site and buildings planned by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that opened in the US capital in 2016.
It has been five years in the development – and is designed to showcase both the heritage and the present of cultural innovation in the locale known for the historic artworks, historical pieces looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.
Preparation and Promise
It is impressive – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was energetic with staff resolved to show it is a venue that can match established museums and galleries in the Europe and America.
Within preservation experts meticulously unwrapped cultural items from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous notes before arranging them on exhibition areas and plinths.
Technicians calibrated environmental controls. In the research lab, staff members adjusted equipment designed to maintain historical items.
Funding and Economic Goals
The project has been the concept of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's executive director.
"I aim us to have a substantial economic impact on local residents in this region," he told media outlets, noting that he hoped to make the city "a tourism center."
Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, sees itself generating more than 30,000 work positions and contributing above $80m annually to the regional creative economy through collaborations and events.
Financial Support and Government Issues
It has taken $25m to reach this point – funds gathered from different donors, including the French and German governments, the London institution and the Edo state government.
But currently the regional administration has pulled the rug from under it – terminating the use of the property on which the building was erected.
An government communicator clarified this was because in the initial documents it had referred to itself as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had subsequently eliminated "Edo" from its title.
Unrest and Official Response
This statement came after demonstrations on Sunday, when activists stormed the complex insisting it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.
A disruptive group harassed overseas dignitaries at the facility before the inauguration – requiring them to be escorted out under police escort.
National leader Bola Tinubu has additionally stepped in to work to address the tensions, setting up a high-level committee to do some damage control.
Administrative Challenges
But why has this become so divisive – and such a public relations crisis?
Much of it comes down to internecine rivalries at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office finished the previous year – who was a key supporter of the project.
And it seems the government of the current leader, a strong supporter of the local traditional ruler, called the Oba, may desire more of a stake in the venture. The activists on the weekend, for example, were calling for that the facility be placed under the control of Oba Ewuare II.
The Historical Objects Discussion
This highlights the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of Africa's most celebrated artistic heritage.
Because although the institution does eventually welcome visitors, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.
They are metal, ivory and timber artworks that once adorned the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces looted them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.
Currently, many continue to be distributed across galleries in Europe and North America -- featuring the British Museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the New York institution.
Repatriation Campaigns
Their return has become one of the most contested debates in the international art community. Roughly 150 have now come back – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.
When proposals for the museum in the city were originally proposed in the pre-pandemic era, the influential figures on the country's cultural sector hoped it would become their ideal location – a modern facility to exhibit them to the world.
But the issues became confused recently after the federal government stated that the Oba would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court advocated for a museum under the king's authority, against the desires of Obaseki.
Diplomatic Challenges
This left Mowaa in a difficult situation: expressing a definite position on return while staying tactful on ownership – and highlighting its wider mission, which led to|c
