🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of area political conflicts during the week it was expected to – but did not manage – to welcome visitors to the public for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The large-scale campus stands in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern region of Edo – and contains an historical dig and buildings designed by high-profile Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Washington African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the creation – and is planned to celebrate both the past and the present of artistic expression in the area famous for the cultural artifacts, artworks stolen from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.

Setup and Prospects

It is notable – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was buzzing with employees committed to prove it is a institution that can match established art institutions in the Western world.

Internally conservators meticulously revealed artworks from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking detailed notes before arranging them on walls and stands.

Specialists adjusted environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, officers adjusted instruments meant to maintain historical items.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

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

"I hope us to have a substantial financial effect on communities in the vicinity," he explained to media outlets, noting that he aspired to make this urban center "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit local organization, envisions itself generating over 30,000 work positions and contributing over $80m per year to the area arts sector through collaborations and programming.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has taken $25m to reach this point – money gathered from various contributors, featuring the international partners, the British Museum and the local administration.

But now the regional administration has pulled the rug from under it – canceling the occupancy of the site on which the facility was constructed.

An official representative clarified this was because in the initial documents it had referred to itself as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later eliminated "Edo" from its title.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement followed demonstrations on recently, when activists entered the campus calling for it be called the Royal Benin Museum.

A disruptive crowd confronted international visitors at the facility before the opening – requiring them to be hurried away under official guard.

National leader Bola Tinubu has even intervened to attempt to settle the tensions, creating a high-level committee to address the controversy.

Political Complexities

But how has this evolved into so politicised – and such a PR disaster?

The majority of it comes down to local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended the previous year – who was a major backer of the museum.

And it seems the leadership of the new governor, a close ally of the regional monarch, called the traditional leader, may want more of a stake in the initiative. The demonstrators on Sunday, for instance, were demanding that the institution be placed under the authority of the current Oba.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This highlights the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most celebrated cultural treasures.

Because although the facility does ultimately welcome visitors, these objects will be noticeably missing.

They are brass, ivory and timber carvings that once adorned the king's residence of the historical empire before colonial troops stole them in 1897 during a military operation.

Nowadays, many continue to be spread across museums in Western nations -- including the London museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the American museum.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their repatriation has become one of the most contested debates in the worldwide cultural sector. Approximately 150 have now been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in Benin City were originally proposed in recent years, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene anticipated it would become their natural home – a modern campus to display them to the international community.

But the situation became complicated some time back after the central administration announced that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the palace campaigned for a museum under the royal family's direct control, against the preferences of Obaseki.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: asserting a definite position on return while being careful on guardianship – and highlighting its broader vision, which led to|c