The nation's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of local power politics during the time it was supposed to – but was unable – to open its doors to the visitors for the first time.
The Ambitious Project
The 15-acre facility stands in the heart of Benin's urban center, capital of the southern area of Edo – and contains an excavation site and structures planned by celebrated Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington DC in 2016.
It has been five years in the making – and is planned to honor both the history and the present of artistic expression in the region renowned for the cultural artifacts, cultural objects looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 19th Century.
Preparation and Promise
It is notable – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was energetic with employees resolved to prove it is a venue that can compete with renowned museums and galleries in the West.
Internally conservators precisely unwrapped artworks from secure wrapping, checking each item and taking thorough documentation before arranging them on walls and stands.
Technicians fine-tuned environmental controls. In the research lab, staff members adjusted equipment intended to preserve ancient items.
Investment and Economic Plans
The project has been the brainchild of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's executive director.
"I aim us to have a substantial economic benefit on communities in the vicinity," he stated to the press, adding that he wanted to make Benin City "an arts hub."
Mowaa, a non-profit Nigerian institution, sees itself generating more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and adding over $80m annually to the regional creative economy through collaborations and events.
Funding Sources and Political Challenges
It has required $25m to achieve this stage – funds gathered from various contributors, such as the European governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.
But currently the local government has withdrawn support from below it – revoking the use of the property on which the museum was built.
An official representative clarified this was because in the early agreements it had referred to itself as EMOWAA – and it had subsequently removed "the state identifier" from its title.
Unrest and Official Response
This statement came after protests on recently, when protesters entered the complex calling for it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.
A boisterous crowd insulted overseas dignitaries at the museum prior to the opening – requiring them to be quickly removed under police escort.
National leader Bola Tinubu has additionally intervened to attempt to settle the conflict, setting up a presidential committee to do some damage control.
Governance Issues
But why has this become so divisive – and such a PR disaster?
A great deal of it comes down to local power struggles at a area administrative level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose governance concluded the previous year – who was a key supporter of the project.
And it seems the leadership of the new governor, a close ally of the regional monarch, referred to as the royal figure, may desire greater involvement in the project. The activists on the weekend, for instance, were insisting that the museum be placed under the control of Oba Ewuare II.
The Benin Bronzes Controversy
This highlights the disputed topic of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most celebrated historical legacy.
Because though the facility does finally welcome visitors, these objects will be conspicuously absent.
They are brass, elephant tusk and timber artworks that once embellished the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops stole them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.
Today, thousands continue to be scattered across museums in the West -- featuring the British Museum, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Repatriation Campaigns
Their return has become one of the most contested debates in the international art community. Roughly 150 have now made their way home – and further are expected to return.
When proposals for the facility in the city were initially revealed in 2019, the key players on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their ideal location – a advanced facility to show them off to the international community.
But the situation became complicated two years ago after the national authorities announced that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the palace advocated for a museum under the monarch's supervision, against the preferences of the ex-leader.
Diplomatic Challenges
This left Mowaa in a delicate position: maintaining a definite position on restitution while being careful on guardianship – and stressing its wider mission, which led to|c
