🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's stunning new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has landed in the middle of local power politics during the period it was scheduled to – but failed – to begin operations to the general public for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The large-scale campus stands in the heart of Benin City, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and features an historical dig and facilities planned by high-profile dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is planned to celebrate both the heritage and the modern times of artistic expression in the region renowned for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces stolen from the royal palace by British troops in the 1800s.

Setup and Prospects

It is notable – and ahead of the planned opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers determined to demonstrate it is a institution that can compete with established museums and galleries in the Europe and America.

Internally conservators precisely opened cultural items from secure wrapping, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous documentation before arranging them on walls and plinths.

Specialists fine-tuned environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, staff members adjusted instruments intended to preserve centuries-old items.

Funding and Economic Goals

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

"I want us to have a major economic impact on local residents in this region," he explained to journalists, mentioning that he wanted to make Benin City "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, sees itself establishing in excess of 30,000 work positions and providing above $80m each year to the area arts sector through collaborations and events.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has taken $25m to get here – funds collected from various contributors, including the French and German governments, the London institution and the Edo state government.

But currently the regional administration has pulled the rug from beneath it – revoking the use of the site on which the museum was built.

An government communicator clarified this was because in the early agreements it had identified as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since eliminated "the regional name" from its designation.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement came after demonstrations on recently, when people entered the facility calling for it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A disruptive assembly confronted international visitors at the venue before the opening – compelling them to be escorted out under official guard.

President Bola Tinubu has even stepped in to attempt to settle the tensions, setting up a special task force to manage the situation.

Administrative Challenges

But why has this turned into so divisive – and such a reputation problem?

Much of it comes down to local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded recently – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.

And it appears the administration of the current leader, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, called the royal figure, may desire increased control in the venture. The activists on Sunday, for instance, were demanding that the institution be positioned under the authority of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the controversial matter of the Benin Bronzes, one of the region's most renowned cultural treasures.

Because although the facility does ultimately open, these artifacts will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, ivory and wooden artworks that once adorned the king's residence of the historical empire before colonial troops took them in the late nineteenth century during a colonial invasion.

Nowadays, thousands continue to be spread across museums in the West -- such as the UK institution, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Return Initiatives

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested discussions in the worldwide cultural sector. Roughly 150 have currently come back – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in Benin City were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their perfect venue – a modern complex to exhibit them to the international community.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the federal government stated that the Oba would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the royal household pushed for a museum under the king's authority, against the preferences of Obaseki.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: expressing a specific viewpoint on restitution while being careful on ownership – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c