🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's remarkable new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of local power politics during the period it was supposed to – but was unable – to welcome visitors to the general public for the initial occasion.

The Major Initiative

The six-hectare facility sits in the center of the Edo state capital, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and facilities planned by renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Washington African American Museum that was inaugurated in the US capital in 2016.

It has been five years in the making – and is designed to honor both the past and the current era of cultural innovation in the region renowned for the cultural artifacts, historical pieces taken from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

It is remarkable – and before the anticipated opening, Mowaa was active with staff resolved to demonstrate it is a place that can rival well-known art institutions in the West.

Internally conservators meticulously unwrapped cultural items from safety materials, checking each artifact and taking meticulous documentation before positioning them on walls and bases.

Technicians fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, personnel set up equipment meant to maintain centuries-old items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The project has been the idea of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's chief executive.

"I want us to have a substantial economic impact on local residents around here," he told media outlets, adding that he hoped to make the city "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a charitable national foundation, envisions itself generating over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and adding more than $80m per year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and events.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has taken $25m to reach this point – funds raised from different donors, including the European governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

But now the state authorities has revoked permission from below it – terminating the occupancy of the site on which the museum was built.

An official representative explained this was because in the original paperwork it had identified as EMOWAA – and it had subsequently eliminated "the regional name" from its title.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement followed protests on the weekend, when protesters entered the facility insisting it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A rowdy assembly confronted overseas dignitaries at the venue prior to the opening – compelling them to be escorted out under police escort.

National leader Bola Tinubu has additionally stepped in to try and resolve the tensions, establishing a special task force to address the controversy.

Governance Issues

But in what way has this evolved into so controversial – and such a PR disaster?

The majority of it stems from internal conflicts at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose governance finished last year – who was a key supporter of the museum.

And it seems the administration of the new governor, a close ally of the regional monarch, called the traditional leader, may desire more of a stake in the project. The demonstrators on Sunday, for example, were demanding that the institution be placed under the control of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the cultural artifacts, one of Africa's most renowned historical legacy.

Because even if the facility does ultimately open, these objects will be clearly not present.

They are metal, ivory and wooden carvings that once decorated the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before British soldiers looted them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Nowadays, thousands continue to be distributed across museums in the West -- featuring the London museum, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their repatriation has become one of the most debated conversations in the worldwide cultural sector. Roughly 150 have now made their way home – and additional are expected to return.

When proposals for the facility in the urban center were initially revealed in recent years, the key players on the country's cultural sector anticipated it would become their natural home – a advanced facility to display them to the global audience.

But the situation became complicated two years ago after the central administration announced that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court pushed for a institution under the king's authority, contrary to the desires of Obaseki.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: expressing a specific viewpoint on restitution while remaining diplomatic on ownership – and stressing its broader vision, which led to|c