Nigeria's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has landed in the middle of area political conflicts during the period it was expected to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the general public for the initial occasion.
The Grand Vision
The 15-acre facility sits in the heart of Benin's urban center, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and features an archaeological dig and facilities planned by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington DC in 2016.
It has been 60 months in the making – and is envisioned to celebrate both the past and the present of creativity in the locale renowned for the cultural artifacts, artworks taken from the king's palace by British soldiers in the nineteenth century.
Preparation and Promise
It is notable – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with staff committed to show it is a venue that can compete with established cultural centers in the Western world.
Within preservation experts carefully revealed artworks from secure wrapping, inspecting each item and taking thorough documentation before positioning them on walls and plinths.
Experts adjusted climate control systems. In the scientific facility, personnel calibrated equipment designed to maintain ancient objects.
Funding and Economic Goals
The venture has been the concept of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's managing director.
"I hope us to have a substantial economic impact on local residents in this region," he told journalists, adding that he hoped to make Benin City "a cultural destination."
Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, sees itself creating more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributing more than $80m annually to the regional creative economy through alliances and activities.
Funding Sources and Political Challenges
It has needed $25m to reach this point – funds gathered from multiple supporters, featuring the French and German governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.
But currently the local government has pulled the rug from beneath it – revoking the use of the site on which the museum was built.
An government communicator explained this was because in the early agreements it had called itself the Edo-named institution – and it had since eliminated "the regional name" from its designation.
Protests and Political Intervention
This statement followed rallies on recently, when activists entered the facility insisting it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.
A boisterous group harassed international visitors at the facility ahead of the launch – requiring them to be hurried away under official guard.
President Bola Tinubu has also become involved to work to address the conflict, creating a high-level committee to address the controversy.
Political Complexities
But how has this become so politicised – and such a PR disaster?
Much of it comes down to local power struggles at a local state level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office finished the previous year – who was a key supporter of the project.
And it looks like the leadership of the recently elected official, a close ally of the local traditional ruler, known as the Oba, may desire increased control in the venture. The protesters on the weekend, for example, were insisting that the museum be positioned under the authority of the current Oba.
The Benin Bronzes Controversy
This brings into focus the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of Africa's most celebrated cultural treasures.
Because although the institution does eventually begin operations, these objects will be noticeably missing.
They are metal, ivory and wooden sculptures that once adorned the monarch's home of the historical empire before British soldiers stole them in 1897 during a military operation.
Nowadays, numerous remain scattered across institutions in Europe and North America -- including the London museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the American museum.
Return Initiatives
Their homecoming has become one of the most debated discussions in the worldwide cultural sector. Approximately 150 have currently been returned – and further are expected to return.
When plans for the institution in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the influential figures on the national arts community expected it would become their ideal location – a state-of-the-art facility to show them off to the global audience.
But the waters were muddied two years ago after the central administration declared that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court advocated for a institution under the king's authority, opposing the desires of the former governor.
Diplomatic Challenges
This left Mowaa in a difficult situation: maintaining a specific viewpoint on repatriation while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and highlighting its wider mission, which led to|c
