🔗 Share this article

The nation's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the center of regional political struggles during the week it was scheduled to – but did not manage – to begin operations to the visitors for the initial occasion.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare facility is located in the heart of the Edo state capital, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and contains an historical dig and buildings created by renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that was inaugurated in the US capital in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the making – and is designed to celebrate both the history and the present of cultural innovation in the locale known for the historic artworks, artworks looted from the king's palace by UK forces in the nineteenth century.

Setup and Prospects

It is notable – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers determined to show it is a institution that can compete with well-known cultural centers in the Europe and America.

Within preservation experts precisely revealed artworks from safety materials, examining each item and taking detailed notes before arranging them on walls and plinths.

Specialists fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, staff members calibrated instruments intended to conserve historical objects.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

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

"I aim us to have a substantial economic impact on area populations in this region," he told journalists, adding that he hoped to make the city "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, sees itself establishing in excess of 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and providing more than $80m per year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has required $25m to get here – funds gathered from different contributors, including the international partners, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

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

An official representative clarified this was because in the initial documents it had identified as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later eliminated "the state identifier" from its designation.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This statement was preceded by demonstrations on the weekend, when activists stormed the complex calling for it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A boisterous assembly confronted foreign guests at the venue ahead of the launch – forcing them to be hurried away under police escort.

President Bola Tinubu has additionally become involved to try and resolve the conflict, creating a presidential committee to do some damage control.

Administrative Challenges

But how has this turned into so divisive – and such a public relations crisis?

The majority of it results from local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended the previous year – who was a key supporter of the museum.

And it appears the government of the new governor, a key associate of the regional monarch, known as the royal figure, may desire greater involvement in the initiative. The demonstrators on the weekend, for example, were demanding that the facility be placed under the authority of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most celebrated historical legacy.

Because even if the facility does ultimately open, these objects will be noticeably missing.

They are brass, ivory and timber sculptures that once decorated the royal palace of the historical empire before British soldiers looted them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.

Today, thousands remain spread across institutions in Western nations -- including the UK institution, German museum and the New York institution.

Return Initiatives

Their return has become one of the most debated discussions in the international art community. Approximately 150 have presently come back – and further are due to follow.

When ideas for the institution in Benin City were first announced in 2019, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their natural home – a modern facility to display them to the world.

But the waters were muddied recently after the federal government announced that the Oba would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court campaigned for a museum under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the desires of the ex-leader.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a clear stance on return while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and emphasising its broader vision, which led to|c