Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the crosshairs of local power politics during the week it was scheduled to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the public for the very first time.
The Major Initiative
The six-hectare facility is located in the heart of Benin City, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and features an archaeological dig and structures planned by high-profile dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that began operations in Washington in 2016.
It has been half a decade in the making – and is planned to honor both the heritage and the modern times of cultural innovation in the region famous for the historic artworks, cultural objects taken from the royal palace by British troops in the 19th Century.
Preparation and Promise
It is remarkable – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with staff committed to demonstrate it is a place that can rival renowned art institutions in the Europe and America.
Internally art restorers meticulously revealed cultural items from protective packaging, examining each artifact and taking meticulous records before placing them on walls and plinths.
Technicians fine-tuned climate control systems. In the research lab, staff members adjusted devices intended to maintain historical objects.
Financial Backing and Economic Vision
The project has been the idea of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's executive director.
"I aim us to have a substantial economic benefit on area populations in the vicinity," he told the press, noting that he aspired to make the city "an arts hub."
Mowaa, a charitable national foundation, sees itself generating over 30,000 employment opportunities and contributing more than $80m annually to the regional creative economy through alliances and activities.
Investment and Administrative Problems
It has required $25m to reach this point – capital raised from different contributors, including the European governments, the British Museum and the local administration.
But at present the regional administration has pulled the rug from below it – revoking the use of the property on which the museum was built.
An official representative clarified this was because in the initial documents it had identified as the Edo-named institution – and it had subsequently eliminated "the state identifier" from its name.
Protests and Political Intervention
This declaration came after rallies on recently, when protesters entered the campus insisting it be called the Royal Benin Museum.
A boisterous crowd confronted international visitors at the facility prior to the inauguration – forcing them to be escorted out under security protection.
Head of state Bola Tinubu has even intervened to try and resolve the dispute, setting up a high-level committee to do some damage control.
Administrative Challenges
But in what way has this become so politicised – and such a PR disaster?
The majority of it stems from internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended last year – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.
And it appears the government of the recently elected official, a close ally of the local traditional ruler, called the Oba, may want greater involvement in the venture. The protesters on the weekend, for instance, were calling for that the facility be positioned under the control of the current Oba.
The Historical Objects Discussion
This emphasizes the disputed topic of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most famous cultural treasures.
Because though the facility does ultimately open, these bronzes will be clearly not present.
They are metal, ivory and timber artworks that once decorated the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before British soldiers looted them in the colonial era during a punitive expedition.
Today, thousands stay spread across museums in the West -- including the London museum, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Repatriation Campaigns
Their homecoming has become one of the most debated debates in the global art world. About 150 have now made their way home – and more are due to follow.
When ideas for the museum in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their ideal location – a advanced campus to display them to the world.
But the situation became complicated recently after the central administration stated that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of repatriated artifacts – and the royal household campaigned for a institution under the monarch's supervision, opposing the desires of Obaseki.
Political Navigation
This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: maintaining a definite position on return while being careful on ownership – and emphasising its broader vision, which led to|c
