Nigeria's stunning new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of area political conflicts during the week it was scheduled to – but was unable – to open its doors to the visitors for the first time.
The Ambitious Project
The six-hectare campus stands in the core of Benin's urban center, administrative center of the southern region of Edo – and includes an historical dig and facilities designed by renowned dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.
It has been 60 months in the development – and is planned to honor both the heritage and the present of artistic expression in the region known for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces looted from the royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.
Preparation and Promise
It is impressive – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was active with staff determined to show it is a place that can match well-known cultural centers in the Western world.
Internally conservators meticulously revealed cultural items from safety materials, checking each artifact and taking detailed documentation before placing them on display surfaces and bases.
Technicians calibrated temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, personnel calibrated equipment meant to maintain ancient objects.
Financial Backing and Economic Vision
The venture has been the concept of investor Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's executive director.
"I aim us to have a significant financial effect on area populations in this region," he told the press, noting that he aspired to make Benin City "a tourism center."
Mowaa, a not-for-profit local organization, envisions itself creating over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and providing more than $80m each year to the area arts sector through alliances and programming.
Investment and Administrative Problems
It has needed $25m to get here – money gathered from various supporters, featuring the international partners, the British Museum and the local administration.
But at present the regional administration has pulled the rug from under it – canceling 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 since eliminated "the state identifier" from its title.
Demonstrations and Government Action
This declaration came after protests on Sunday, when protesters entered the campus calling for it be named the Benin Royal Museum.
A disruptive assembly harassed international visitors at the facility ahead of the opening – requiring them to be escorted out under police escort.
President Bola Tinubu has also become involved to work to address the dispute, establishing a presidential committee to do some damage control.
Political Complexities
But how has this become so controversial – and such a public relations crisis?
Much of it results from internecine rivalries at a regional government level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended last year – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.
And it looks like the leadership of the current leader, a key associate of the local traditional ruler, called the royal figure, may seek increased control in the venture. The protesters on the weekend, for instance, were calling for that the institution be placed under the supervision of Oba Ewuare II.
The Benin Bronzes Controversy
This brings into focus the controversial matter of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most celebrated cultural treasures.
Because although the institution does eventually open, these objects will be clearly not present.
They are brass, ivory and timber carvings that once adorned the royal palace of the historical empire before colonial troops stole them in the colonial era during a colonial invasion.
Today, many continue to be distributed across galleries in the West -- such as the UK institution, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Restitution Efforts
Their return has become one of the most disputed debates in the international art community. Approximately 150 have now made their way home – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.
When ideas for the institution in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the key players on the country's cultural sector anticipated it would become their natural home – a modern complex to exhibit them to the international community.
But the situation became complicated some time back after the central administration declared that the traditional ruler would be the rightful owner of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court campaigned for a museum under the king's authority, against the wishes of Obaseki.
Strategic Positioning
This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a specific viewpoint on return while staying tactful on ownership – and stressing its broader vision, which led to|c
