🔗 Share this article

The nation's remarkable new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of regional political struggles during the week it was expected to – but failed – to open its doors to the visitors for the first time.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare campus stands in the core of the Edo state capital, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and contains an historical dig and structures planned by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in Washington in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is designed to celebrate both the past and the present of artistic expression in the locale famous for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces taken from the king's palace by British troops in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

It is impressive – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with employees resolved to prove it is a venue that can compete with well-known cultural centers in the Europe and America.

Inside art restorers precisely unwrapped cultural items from protective packaging, checking each artifact and taking detailed documentation before positioning them on walls and plinths.

Specialists calibrated environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, officers calibrated equipment meant to conserve centuries-old artefacts.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

The venture has been the idea of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's chief executive.

"I hope us to have a significant financial effect on area populations in this region," he stated to media outlets, mentioning that he wanted to make the city "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, sees itself creating more than 30,000 work positions and contributing more than $80m annually to the regional creative economy through collaborations and activities.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has required $25m to achieve this stage – funds gathered from different donors, featuring the French and German governments, the British Museum and the regional authorities.

But now the regional administration has withdrawn support from under it – terminating the occupancy of the property on which the building was erected.

An government communicator clarified this was because in the initial documents it had called itself the Edo-named institution – and it had since removed "the state identifier" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This declaration came after rallies on recently, when protesters entered the campus calling for it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A disruptive group insulted overseas dignitaries at the museum before the launch – forcing them to be quickly removed under police escort.

National leader Bola Tinubu has additionally intervened to attempt to settle the conflict, establishing a special task force to manage the situation.

Administrative Challenges

But how has this become so divisive – 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 administration ended the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the project.

And it looks like the government of the recently elected official, a strong supporter of the local traditional ruler, referred to as the traditional leader, may desire increased control in the venture. The demonstrators on Sunday, for case, were calling for that the facility be placed under the supervision of Oba Ewuare II.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This emphasizes the contentious issue of the cultural artifacts, one of Africa's most renowned artistic heritage.

Because even if the institution does finally begin operations, these objects will be clearly not present.

They are metal, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once embellished the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops took them in the colonial era during a military operation.

Currently, thousands continue to be distributed across institutions in Europe and North America -- such as the British Museum, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their homecoming has become one of the most disputed conversations in the international art community. About 150 have now come back – and further are due to follow.

When ideas for the museum in the city were first announced in 2019, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their ideal location – a advanced facility to display them to the world.

But the issues became confused some time back after the central administration declared that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of returned objects – and the royal household advocated for a museum under the king's authority, opposing the wishes of the ex-leader.

Diplomatic Challenges

This left Mowaa in a difficult situation: asserting a specific viewpoint on return while staying tactful on ownership – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c