🔗 Share this article

Nigeria's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of local power politics during the week it was supposed to – but failed – to begin operations to the visitors for the first time.

The Ambitious Project

The 15-acre campus is located in the heart of the Edo state capital, capital of the southern state of Edo – and contains an historical dig and buildings created by renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that was inaugurated in Washington in 2016.

It has been five years in the making – and is envisioned to celebrate both the past and the current era of artistic expression in the region known for the Benin Bronzes, artworks looted from the royal palace by UK forces in the nineteenth century.

Preparation and Promise

It is notable – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with staff resolved to show it is a place that can compete with established art institutions in the West.

Within preservation experts meticulously revealed art pieces from protective packaging, checking each artifact and taking detailed notes before placing them on exhibition areas and stands.

Technicians calibrated environmental controls. In the research lab, officers calibrated instruments intended to preserve historical items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The project has been the concept of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – presently Mowaa's executive director.

"I hope us to have a substantial economic impact on communities in this region," he told journalists, mentioning that he hoped to make the city "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, aims at creating over 30,000 employment opportunities and contributing more than $80m annually to the local cultural industry through alliances and activities.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has taken $25m to reach this point – capital gathered from multiple supporters, such as the French and German governments, the London institution and the regional authorities.

But at present the regional administration has withdrawn support from beneath it – revoking the utilization of the property on which the building was erected.

An Edo state spokesperson clarified this was because in the initial documents it had identified as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later dropped "the state identifier" from its name.

Protests and Political Intervention

This declaration was preceded by rallies on recently, when people invaded the facility calling for it be named the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A boisterous assembly insulted international visitors at the venue ahead of the launch – forcing them to be quickly removed under police escort.

National leader Bola Tinubu has even become involved to work to address the tensions, creating a presidential committee to address the controversy.

Political Complexities

But how has this turned into so divisive – and such a reputation problem?

A great deal of it results from internecine rivalries at a regional government level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose administration ended the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the museum.

And it appears the government of the new governor, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, called the Oba, may seek greater involvement in the project. The activists on that day, for example, were demanding that the facility be placed under the control of Oba Ewuare II.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This emphasizes the controversial matter of the Benin Bronzes, one of Africa's most renowned historical legacy.

Because even if the facility does eventually welcome visitors, these artifacts will be clearly not present.

They are brass, ivory and wooden carvings that once decorated the king's residence of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops looted them in 1897 during a military operation.

Currently, numerous continue to be spread across museums in the West -- such as the UK institution, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their homecoming has become one of the most disputed debates in the worldwide cultural sector. About 150 have presently come back – and more are due to follow.

When proposals for the institution in the city were originally proposed in recent years, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art campus to exhibit them to the world.

But the situation became complicated recently after the national authorities stated that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court advocated for a institution under the king's authority, contrary to the preferences of the ex-leader.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a clear stance on return while staying tactful on custodianship – and emphasising its broader vision, which led to|c