Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the center of local power politics during the time it was scheduled to – but failed – to open its doors to the visitors for the first time.
The Major Initiative
The large-scale facility stands in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern region of Edo – and features an historical dig and structures planned by high-profile Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that opened in Washington in 2016.
It has been half a decade in the development – and is planned to showcase both the heritage and the current era of artistic expression in the region renowned for the Benin Bronzes, artworks looted from the royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.
Preparation and Promise
It is impressive – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with workers committed to demonstrate it is a venue that can rival renowned cultural centers in the Western world.
Within conservators meticulously unwrapped artworks from safety materials, inspecting each artifact and taking meticulous records before placing them on walls and plinths.
Technicians adjusted environmental controls. In the research lab, staff members adjusted equipment intended to maintain ancient objects.
Financial Backing and Economic Vision
The initiative has been the brainchild of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – presently Mowaa's chief executive.
"I aim us to have a substantial economic benefit on area populations around here," he explained to journalists, noting that he hoped to make the city "a cultural destination."
Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, aims at generating more than 30,000 work positions and providing above $80m each year to the regional creative economy through partnerships and activities.
Investment and Administrative Problems
It has required $25m to get here – money collected from multiple contributors, including the European governments, the London institution and the Edo state government.
But currently the state authorities has pulled the rug from below it – canceling the use of the site on which the building was erected.
An Edo state spokesperson stated this was because in the original paperwork it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since dropped "the regional name" from its title.
Unrest and Official Response
This declaration was preceded by protests on the weekend, when activists invaded the complex insisting it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.
A disruptive assembly insulted international visitors at the facility before the launch – requiring them to be hurried away under security protection.
Head of state Bola Tinubu has even stepped in to work to address the conflict, creating a special task force to address the controversy.
Administrative Challenges
But why has this turned into so divisive – and such a reputation problem?
The majority of it stems from internal conflicts at a area administrative level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose administration ended the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.
And it looks like the administration of the current leader, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, called the Oba, may seek increased control in the initiative. The activists on Sunday, for instance, were demanding that the facility be put under the authority of Oba Ewuare II.
The Cultural Artifacts Debate
This highlights the controversial matter of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most renowned historical legacy.
Because even if the facility does ultimately open, these artifacts will be conspicuously absent.
They are metal, ivory and wooden sculptures that once adorned the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces looted them in the colonial era during a punitive expedition.
Today, many remain scattered across galleries in Western nations -- featuring the UK institution, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Repatriation Campaigns
Their repatriation has become one of the most disputed debates in the international art community. Approximately 150 have now been returned – and more are due to follow.
When proposals for the institution in the city were first announced in recent years, the influential figures on the national arts community expected it would become their ideal location – a modern facility to display them to the world.
But the waters were muddied some time back after the central administration stated that the Oba would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court campaigned for a facility under the king's authority, against the wishes of Obaseki.
Strategic Positioning
This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a clear stance on restitution while staying tactful on custodianship – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c
