🔗 Share this article

The nation's stunning new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of regional political struggles during the week it was supposed to – but was unable – to welcome visitors to the general public for the very first time.

The Grand Vision

The six-hectare campus stands in the core of Benin's urban center, main city of the southern region of Edo – and contains an archaeological dig and buildings created by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in the US capital in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is planned to celebrate both the past and the present of creativity in the locale known for the historic artworks, artworks looted from the royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

It is impressive – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was energetic with workers committed to show it is a institution that can rival well-known museums and galleries in the Europe and America.

Inside preservation experts precisely revealed artworks from protective packaging, checking each piece and taking thorough documentation before placing them on display surfaces and bases.

Specialists calibrated climate control systems. In the materials science laboratory, staff members calibrated devices meant to preserve ancient items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The initiative has been the brainchild of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's managing director.

"I hope us to have a substantial financial effect on communities around here," he stated to media outlets, noting that he wanted to make Benin City "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit local organization, sees itself establishing over 30,000 employment opportunities and contributing over $80m annually to the local cultural industry through partnerships and events.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has taken $25m to achieve this stage – money raised from multiple donors, featuring the European governments, the British Museum and the Edo state government.

But currently the state authorities has withdrawn support from under it – revoking the occupancy of the land on which the building was erected.

An official representative clarified this was because in the initial documents it had called itself the Edo-named institution – and it had later dropped "Edo" from its designation.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement was preceded by rallies on Sunday, when activists entered the campus insisting it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A disruptive crowd confronted overseas dignitaries at the facility before the inauguration – requiring them to be escorted out under security protection.

President Bola Tinubu has also become involved to try and resolve the tensions, creating a high-level committee to manage the situation.

Political Complexities

But in what way has this evolved into so divisive – and such a public relations crisis?

Much of it comes down to local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose governance finished last year – who was a primary advocate of the project.

And it looks like the leadership of the new governor, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, called the traditional leader, may want greater involvement in the venture. The protesters on Sunday, for example, were insisting that the museum be put under the authority of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This highlights the contentious issue of the Benin Bronzes, one of the region's most famous artistic heritage.

Because even if the museum does eventually open, these objects will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, ivory and wooden carvings that once embellished the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops looted them in the colonial era during a military operation.

Nowadays, many remain spread across galleries in the West -- featuring the UK institution, German museum and the New York institution.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their return has become one of the most debated conversations in the global art world. Roughly 150 have presently come back – and additional are due to follow.

When proposals for the institution in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the influential figures on the country's cultural sector expected it would become their ideal location – a advanced campus to show them off to the global audience.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the national authorities stated that the Oba would be the proper guardian of returned objects – and the palace pushed for a museum under the monarch's supervision, against the preferences of the former governor.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: expressing a specific viewpoint on repatriation while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c