🔗 Share this article

The nation's stunning new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of regional political struggles during the period it was expected to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the public for the first time.

The Ambitious Project

The 15-acre facility is located in the core of Benin City, main city of the southern region of Edo – and features an excavation site and structures designed by celebrated British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that was inaugurated in the US capital in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is designed to honor both the past and the present of artistic expression in the area renowned for the cultural artifacts, artworks taken from the royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.

Setup and Prospects

It is impressive – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with staff determined to show it is a place that can compete with established cultural centers in the Europe and America.

Internally art restorers carefully opened cultural items from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous documentation before arranging them on walls and bases.

Technicians adjusted environmental controls. In the research lab, personnel calibrated instruments intended to conserve historical artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

The initiative has been the idea of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's managing director.

"I hope us to have a significant financial effect on area populations in this region," he explained to the press, adding that he hoped to make this urban center "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, aims at generating in excess of 30,000 work positions and providing over $80m per year to the regional creative economy through partnerships and activities.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has needed $25m to reach this point – capital raised from various supporters, including the international partners, the London institution and the regional authorities.

But now the regional administration has revoked permission from under it – terminating the occupancy of the site on which the facility was constructed.

An Edo state spokesperson stated this was because in the early agreements it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had subsequently removed "the regional name" from its title.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This declaration followed demonstrations on the weekend, when activists entered the facility insisting it be named the Benin Royal Museum.

A boisterous crowd harassed international visitors at the museum prior to the launch – requiring them to be quickly removed under police escort.

President Bola Tinubu has additionally intervened to attempt to settle the tensions, establishing a special task force to address the controversy.

Governance Issues

But in what way has this turned into so controversial – and such a public relations crisis?

The majority of it results from internal conflicts at a local state level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the project.

And it appears the leadership of the current leader, a key associate of the area king, called the traditional leader, may want more of a stake in the project. The activists on the weekend, for example, were insisting that the museum be placed under the authority of the royal leader.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of the region's most celebrated historical legacy.

Because although the museum does ultimately begin operations, these objects will be clearly not present.

They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once decorated the king's residence of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops took them in the colonial era during a colonial invasion.

Today, many stay scattered across museums in Europe and North America -- such as the London museum, German museum and the American museum.

Return Initiatives

Their repatriation has become one of the most disputed discussions in the worldwide cultural sector. Approximately 150 have presently been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in the city were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene anticipated it would become their perfect venue – a state-of-the-art complex to exhibit them to the world.

But the issues became confused recently after the central administration announced that the Oba would be the proper guardian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court campaigned for a facility under the king's authority, against the preferences of the former governor.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: maintaining a definite position on return while staying tactful on guardianship – and stressing its larger purpose, which led to|c