Nigeria's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has ended up in the center of local power politics during the week it was expected to – but did not manage – to welcome visitors to the general public for the very first time.
The Major Initiative
The six-hectare campus sits in the heart of Benin's urban center, administrative center of the southern region of Edo – and features an archaeological dig and buildings planned by celebrated British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.
It has been half a decade in the making – and is designed to honor both the heritage and the present of creativity in the area renowned for the cultural artifacts, cultural objects stolen from the king's palace by British troops in the 1800s.
Setup and Prospects
It is remarkable – and prior to the planned opening, Mowaa was active with workers determined to show it is a institution that can match well-known cultural centers in the West.
Inside art restorers carefully opened art pieces from safety materials, inspecting each item and taking detailed documentation before positioning them on walls and bases.
Experts adjusted environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, personnel set up equipment meant to conserve historical items.
Investment and Economic Plans
The project has been the idea of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's managing director.
"I want us to have a significant economic impact on local residents around here," he explained to journalists, noting that he aspired to make the city "a tourism center."
Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, envisions itself establishing in excess of 30,000 work positions and providing more than $80m per year to the regional creative economy through alliances and activities.
Investment and Administrative Problems
It has required $25m to get here – money gathered from multiple supporters, including the international partners, the British Museum and the local administration.
But now the state authorities has pulled the rug from below it – revoking the use of the site on which the facility was constructed.
An official representative stated this was because in the early agreements it had called itself the Edo-named institution – and it had later dropped "the regional name" from its title.
Unrest and Official Response
This declaration came after rallies on the weekend, when activists entered the campus demanding it be designated the Benin Royal Museum.
A disruptive group harassed foreign guests at the facility before the launch – requiring them to be quickly removed under security protection.
National leader Bola Tinubu has also intervened to work to address the conflict, setting up a presidential committee to do some damage control.
Administrative Challenges
But why has this evolved into so politicised – and such a PR disaster?
Much of it stems from internal conflicts at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended the previous year – who was a key supporter of the museum.
And it appears the administration of the recently elected official, a close ally of the regional monarch, referred to as the royal figure, may seek greater involvement in the venture. The demonstrators on that day, for example, were calling for that the institution be positioned under the control of the current Oba.
The Benin Bronzes Controversy
This brings into focus the disputed topic of the Benin Bronzes, one of the continent's most renowned cultural treasures.
Because although the institution does ultimately welcome visitors, these bronzes will be noticeably missing.
They are brass, elephant tusk and timber carvings that once adorned the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops stole them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.
Currently, numerous stay scattered across galleries in Europe and North America -- such as the UK institution, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Repatriation Campaigns
Their return has become one of the most disputed debates in the global art world. Roughly 150 have currently been returned – and additional are due to follow.
When ideas for the museum in the city were initially revealed in recent years, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene anticipated it would become their ideal location – a modern complex to exhibit them to the global audience.
But the waters were muddied recently after the central administration announced that the royal leader would be the rightful owner of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court pushed for a facility under the royal family's direct control, against the desires of the ex-leader.
Political Navigation
This left Mowaa in a difficult situation: maintaining a clear stance on restitution while staying tactful on custodianship – and stressing its broader vision, which led to|c
