Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of local power politics during the period it was expected to – but was unable – to welcome visitors to the general public for the initial occasion.
The Grand Vision
The large-scale campus is located in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern region of Edo – and includes an archaeological dig and buildings planned by renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that began operations in Washington in 2016.
It has been half a decade in the making – and is envisioned to showcase both the past and the present of artistic expression in the locale renowned for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces looted from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.
Preparation and Promise
It is impressive – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers resolved to demonstrate it is a place that can compete with well-known art institutions in the West.
Internally conservators precisely unwrapped art pieces from safety materials, inspecting each piece and taking detailed documentation before positioning them on display surfaces and bases.
Specialists calibrated environmental controls. In the scientific facility, personnel calibrated devices designed to conserve centuries-old items.
Financial Backing and Economic Vision
The initiative has been the concept of investor Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's managing director.
"I want us to have a significant economic benefit on area populations around here," he explained to media outlets, noting that he wanted to make the city "an arts hub."
Mowaa, a non-profit national foundation, aims at creating in excess of 30,000 employment opportunities and adding above $80m per year to the area arts sector through collaborations and programming.
Funding Sources and Political Challenges
It has needed $25m to reach this point – capital collected from different supporters, including the European governments, the British Museum and the regional authorities.
But currently the regional administration has revoked permission from beneath it – terminating the occupancy of the land on which the museum was built.
An official representative stated this was because in the initial documents it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had subsequently eliminated "the state identifier" from its name.
Protests and Political Intervention
This statement came after demonstrations on the weekend, when protesters entered the facility demanding it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.
A disruptive assembly insulted foreign guests at the facility prior to the inauguration – requiring them to be quickly removed under police escort.
National leader Bola Tinubu has even intervened to attempt to settle the dispute, setting up a special task force to do some damage control.
Administrative Challenges
But why has this evolved into so politicised – and such a reputation problem?
Much of it stems from local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office finished recently – who was a major backer of the museum.
And it seems the government of the recently elected official, a strong supporter of the area king, called the Oba, may desire greater involvement in the initiative. The demonstrators on that day, for example, were calling for that the facility be put under the authority of the current Oba.
The Cultural Artifacts Debate
This brings into focus the controversial matter of the Benin Bronzes, one of the region's most celebrated artistic heritage.
Because even if the facility does eventually open, these bronzes will be clearly not present.
They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once decorated the royal palace of the historical empire before British soldiers looted them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.
Today, thousands remain distributed across museums in Western nations -- such as the British Museum, European center and the American museum.
Return Initiatives
Their repatriation has become one of the most contested conversations in the worldwide cultural sector. Roughly 150 have now made their way home – and further are due to follow.
When ideas for the facility in the urban center were originally proposed in the pre-pandemic era, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their ideal location – a modern complex to show them off to the world.
But the waters were muddied two years ago after the national authorities announced that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court pushed for a facility under the monarch's supervision, against the wishes of Obaseki.
Diplomatic Challenges
This left Mowaa in a difficult situation: expressing a definite position on return while being careful on guardianship – and stressing its larger purpose, which led to|c
