🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of regional political struggles during the week it was scheduled to – but was unable – to begin operations to the visitors for the very first time.

The Major Initiative

The large-scale complex is located in the core of the Edo state capital, administrative center of the southern region of Edo – and includes an excavation site and structures designed by celebrated Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the making – and is designed to showcase both the heritage and the current era of creativity in the area known for the Benin Bronzes, artworks taken from the royal palace by British soldiers in the 19th Century.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and ahead of the planned opening, Mowaa was active with employees resolved to prove it is a institution that can match well-known cultural centers in the Europe and America.

Inside conservators precisely unwrapped artworks from protective packaging, checking each piece and taking detailed records before arranging them on display surfaces and bases.

Technicians adjusted climate control systems. In the materials science laboratory, officers set up devices intended to maintain historical artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

The initiative has been the concept of investor Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's chief executive.

"I want us to have a substantial economic benefit on communities around here," he stated to journalists, adding that he hoped to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable national foundation, envisions itself generating more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributing above $80m per year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and programming.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has needed $25m to get here – money gathered from multiple supporters, such as the French and German governments, the London institution and the local administration.

But now the state authorities has pulled the rug from below it – canceling the use of the property on which the museum was built.

An Edo state spokesperson stated this was because in the initial documents it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had subsequently eliminated "Edo" from its title.

Unrest and Official Response

This declaration was preceded by rallies on recently, when protesters stormed the complex demanding it be named the Royal Benin Museum.

A boisterous assembly insulted overseas dignitaries at the facility before the opening – requiring them to be quickly removed under police escort.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has even intervened to work to address the tensions, establishing a presidential committee to do some damage control.

Governance Issues

But why has this become so controversial – and such a public relations crisis?

Much of it results from local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the museum.

And it seems the administration of the new governor, a close ally of the local traditional ruler, known as the Oba, may desire increased control in the project. The demonstrators on that day, for instance, were calling for that the museum be put under the authority of Oba Ewuare II.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This highlights the disputed topic of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most famous historical legacy.

Because even if the institution does finally begin operations, these objects will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, ivory and wooden artworks that once embellished the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops looted them in the colonial era during a military operation.

Nowadays, numerous continue to be scattered across galleries in Europe and North America -- such as the UK institution, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Return Initiatives

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested discussions in the international art community. Approximately 150 have currently come back – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in the urban center were initially revealed in recent years, the key players on the country's cultural sector hoped it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art campus to exhibit them to the world.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the central administration declared that the traditional ruler would be the rightful owner of returned objects – and the palace advocated for a facility under the king's authority, opposing the wishes of the former governor.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a specific viewpoint on restitution while remaining diplomatic on guardianship – and stressing its broader vision, which led to|c