🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's remarkable new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has ended up in the crosshairs of local power politics during the week it was scheduled to – but did not manage – to welcome visitors to the general public for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The 15-acre campus sits in the center of Benin's urban center, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and contains an archaeological dig and structures designed by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been five years in the creation – and is designed to honor both the past and the present of creativity in the locale famous for the cultural artifacts, artworks looted from the royal palace by UK forces in the 1800s.

Readiness and Potential

It is remarkable – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with workers resolved to show it is a venue that can rival renowned art institutions in the West.

Internally art restorers precisely unwrapped artworks from protective packaging, inspecting each item and taking thorough documentation before placing them on display surfaces and plinths.

Experts fine-tuned environmental controls. In the research lab, staff members calibrated instruments designed to conserve historical artefacts.

Funding and Economic Goals

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

"I want us to have a substantial economic impact on communities in the vicinity," he explained to the press, adding that he hoped to make the city "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a non-profit Nigerian institution, aims at creating over 30,000 employment opportunities and providing above $80m annually to the regional creative economy through collaborations and activities.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has required $25m to reach this point – funds raised from multiple contributors, including the French and German governments, the British Museum and the regional authorities.

But now the state authorities has withdrawn support from beneath it – revoking the occupancy of the site on which the building was erected.

An government communicator explained this was because in the initial documents it had referred to itself as EMOWAA – and it had later eliminated "the state identifier" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This declaration was preceded by demonstrations on the weekend, when protesters invaded the facility calling for it be designated the Benin Royal Museum.

A disruptive group confronted international visitors at the museum prior to the opening – forcing them to be hurried away under police escort.

President Bola Tinubu has also intervened to try and resolve the tensions, setting up a high-level committee to address the controversy.

Administrative Challenges

But how has this evolved into so controversial – and such a reputation problem?

A great deal of it results from local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended recently – who was a key supporter of the museum.

And it appears the administration of the current leader, a key associate of the regional monarch, called the traditional leader, may desire greater involvement in the initiative. The activists on Sunday, for case, were demanding that the institution be positioned under the authority of Oba Ewuare II.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the Benin Bronzes, one of Africa's most celebrated cultural treasures.

Because though the institution does ultimately welcome visitors, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, elephant tusk and timber artworks that once embellished the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before UK forces stole them in the colonial era during a military operation.

Today, thousands remain distributed across galleries in Western nations -- featuring the London museum, German museum and the New York institution.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their repatriation has become one of the most disputed discussions in the international art community. Roughly 150 have presently made their way home – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the institution in the urban center were originally proposed in recent years, the movers and shakers on the country's cultural sector hoped it would become their natural home – a modern facility to display them to the international community.

But the situation became complicated recently after the federal government stated that the Oba would be the rightful owner of any returned bronzes – and the royal household pushed for a facility under the monarch's supervision, against the wishes of Obaseki.

Diplomatic Challenges

This left Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a definite position on return while staying tactful on ownership – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c