🔗 Share this article

The nation's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the center of regional political struggles during the period it was scheduled to – but was unable – to welcome visitors to the public for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The large-scale facility is located in the center of Benin City, capital of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and buildings created by high-profile Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is envisioned to showcase both the past and the present of cultural innovation in the area famous for the Benin Bronzes, artworks taken from the royal palace by UK forces in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

It is notable – and before the anticipated opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers resolved to demonstrate it is a institution that can match well-known museums and galleries in the Europe and America.

Inside art restorers carefully opened art pieces from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous records before arranging them on display surfaces and plinths.

Experts adjusted climate control systems. In the research lab, personnel set up equipment designed to conserve historical artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

The venture has been the concept of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's managing director.

"I aim us to have a substantial economic impact on local residents around here," he explained to journalists, mentioning that he wanted to make the city "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a non-profit Nigerian institution, aims at generating more than 30,000 work positions and providing over $80m annually to the regional creative economy through partnerships and activities.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has required $25m to reach this point – money collected from multiple donors, including the international partners, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

But at present the local government has pulled the rug from below it – revoking the use of the land on which the building was erected.

An official representative explained this was because in the early agreements it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had later eliminated "Edo" from its name.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement followed rallies on the weekend, when protesters entered the campus demanding it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A rowdy assembly insulted overseas dignitaries at the facility ahead of the opening – requiring them to be escorted out under security protection.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has also become involved to try and resolve the dispute, setting up a special task force to do some damage control.

Administrative Challenges

But how has this evolved into so politicised – and such a PR disaster?

The majority of it results from internecine rivalries at a area administrative level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose administration ended the previous year – who was a major backer of the initiative.

And it looks like the leadership of the recently elected official, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, known as the royal figure, may seek greater involvement in the venture. The demonstrators on that day, for case, were insisting that the institution be put under the control of the current Oba.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of Africa's most renowned artistic heritage.

Because although the facility does finally begin operations, these artifacts will be clearly not present.

They are metal, ivory and timber carvings that once embellished the king's residence of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces stole them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Today, numerous stay spread across galleries in Europe and North America -- featuring the UK institution, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most debated conversations in the international art community. Roughly 150 have now come back – and further are expected to return.

When proposals for the facility in Benin City were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the key players on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their perfect venue – a advanced facility to show them off to the international community.

But the waters were muddied two years ago after the national authorities announced that the royal leader would be the rightful owner of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, opposing the desires of Obaseki.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: asserting a definite position on repatriation while staying tactful on custodianship – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c