🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has landed in the middle of local power politics during the time it was scheduled to – but was unable – to open its doors to the public for the very first time.

The Grand Vision

The six-hectare complex stands in the center of Benin's urban center, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and facilities designed by celebrated Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in Washington in 2016.

It has been five years in the making – and is envisioned to showcase both the heritage and the current era of artistic expression in the locale renowned for the historic artworks, artworks stolen from the city's royal palace by British troops in the nineteenth century.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was energetic with workers resolved to show it is a place that can compete with well-known art institutions in the West.

Internally conservators meticulously unwrapped artworks from safety materials, inspecting each item and taking thorough documentation before positioning them on walls and bases.

Technicians adjusted temperature regulation systems. In the materials science laboratory, personnel set up devices intended to conserve centuries-old artefacts.

Funding and Economic Goals

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

"I hope us to have a significant economic impact on area populations in the vicinity," he told the press, mentioning that he hoped to make the city "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable local organization, sees itself creating in excess of 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and adding above $80m per year to the local cultural industry through partnerships and programming.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has needed $25m to reach this point – funds gathered from multiple supporters, including the French and German governments, the UK museum and the local administration.

But now the local government has pulled the rug from beneath it – canceling the use of the property on which the building was erected.

An official representative stated this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since eliminated "Edo" from its designation.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This announcement came after rallies on Sunday, when people entered the complex demanding it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A boisterous assembly harassed overseas dignitaries at the venue before the opening – requiring them to be quickly removed under security protection.

President Bola Tinubu has additionally stepped in to try and resolve the dispute, setting up a high-level committee to manage the situation.

Political Complexities

But in what way has this evolved into so divisive – and such a reputation problem?

The majority of it comes down to local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended last year – who was a major backer of the initiative.

And it looks like the government of the current leader, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, called the Oba, may want more of a stake in the venture. The activists on Sunday, for example, were insisting that the facility be positioned under the control of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the controversial matter of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most celebrated historical legacy.

Because though the museum does finally begin operations, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once adorned the royal palace of the ancient kingdom before British soldiers looted them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Nowadays, numerous remain distributed across museums in Western nations -- featuring the London museum, European center and the American museum.

Restitution Efforts

Their repatriation has become one of the most contested discussions in the worldwide cultural sector. Approximately 150 have presently made their way home – and more are expected to return.

When ideas for the museum in Benin City were originally proposed in recent years, the key players on the national arts community anticipated it would become their ideal location – a advanced campus to exhibit them to the international community.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the federal government announced that the traditional ruler would be the proper guardian of returned objects – and the monarch's court campaigned for a museum under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the desires of Obaseki.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: asserting a definite position on repatriation while staying tactful on ownership – and stressing its wider mission, which led to|c