Nigeria's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of regional political struggles during the period it was expected to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the visitors for the first time.
The Grand Vision
The six-hectare campus is located in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an historical dig and facilities planned by high-profile dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that opened in Washington in 2016.
It has been 60 months in the creation – and is designed to showcase both the heritage and the current era of cultural innovation in the region known for the historic artworks, historical pieces taken from the king's palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.
Preparation and Promise
It is notable – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers determined to prove it is a institution that can match established art institutions in the Western world.
Internally art restorers meticulously opened cultural items from safety materials, inspecting each item and taking meticulous notes before arranging them on walls and bases.
Specialists fine-tuned climate control systems. In the materials science laboratory, staff members adjusted instruments designed to conserve centuries-old artefacts.
Financial Backing and Economic Vision
The project has been the idea of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's managing director.
"I want us to have a significant economic impact on area populations in this region," he explained to the press, mentioning that he wanted to make Benin City "a tourism center."
Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, aims at establishing over 30,000 employment opportunities and contributing over $80m per year to the area arts sector through collaborations and events.
Financial Support and Government Issues
It has taken $25m to achieve this stage – capital collected from various supporters, including the European governments, the British Museum and the local administration.
But now the regional administration has pulled the rug from beneath it – revoking the utilization of the land on which the building was erected.
An official representative clarified this was because in the early agreements it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since removed "the regional name" from its name.
Protests and Political Intervention
This declaration came after demonstrations on the weekend, when protesters entered the complex demanding it be called the Royal Benin Museum.
A disruptive group confronted international visitors at the facility before the opening – forcing them to be hurried away under police escort.
President Bola Tinubu has additionally stepped in to work to address the conflict, creating a presidential committee to manage the situation.
Political Complexities
But how has this become so divisive – and such a reputation problem?
A great deal of it stems from local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose administration ended last year – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.
And it seems the leadership of the recently elected official, a key associate of the regional monarch, known as the traditional leader, may seek increased control in the project. The activists on that day, for example, were demanding that the facility be put under the supervision of the royal leader.
The Cultural Artifacts Debate
This brings into focus the controversial matter of the historical artworks, one of Africa's most famous cultural treasures.
Because even if the museum does ultimately open, these artifacts will be noticeably missing.
They are brass, elephant tusk and timber carvings that once adorned the royal palace of the historical empire before colonial troops looted them in the colonial era during a colonial invasion.
Today, numerous continue to be spread across galleries in Europe and North America -- featuring the British Museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the American museum.
Return Initiatives
Their return has become one of the most debated conversations in the global art world. Roughly 150 have now made their way home – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.
When plans for the facility in the urban center were originally proposed in 2019, the influential figures on the national arts community expected it would become their natural home – a modern facility to display them to the international community.
But the waters were muddied recently after the federal government declared that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court advocated for a facility under the king's authority, opposing the desires of Obaseki.
Diplomatic Challenges
This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: expressing a specific viewpoint on restitution while remaining diplomatic on ownership – and stressing its wider mission, which led to|c
