🔗 Share this article

The nation's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has landed in the middle of local power politics during the time it was expected to – but failed – to open its doors to the visitors for the very first time.

The Major Initiative

The 15-acre campus is located in the heart of the Edo state capital, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and features an archaeological dig and buildings created by celebrated British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in the US capital in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is designed to celebrate both the history and the current era of creativity in the area renowned for the historic artworks, cultural objects stolen from the king's palace by UK forces in the 1800s.

Readiness and Potential

It is impressive – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was active with workers resolved to show it is a venue that can compete with established museums and galleries in the Western world.

Internally preservation experts carefully opened art pieces from secure wrapping, inspecting each piece and taking detailed notes before arranging them on walls and stands.

Technicians calibrated environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, personnel set up instruments meant to maintain centuries-old artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

The initiative has been the concept of investor Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's executive director.

"I hope us to have a major economic benefit on area populations in this region," he told journalists, noting that he hoped to make the city "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, aims at creating over 30,000 employment opportunities and providing over $80m each year to the regional creative economy through alliances and programming.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has taken $25m to achieve this stage – capital gathered from various donors, including the international partners, the UK museum and the Edo state government.

But now the local government has pulled the rug from below it – terminating the occupancy of the land on which the museum was built.

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 subsequently eliminated "Edo" from its designation.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This announcement was preceded by protests on Sunday, when activists invaded the complex calling for it be designated the Benin Royal Museum.

A rowdy group harassed international visitors at the facility before the inauguration – forcing them to be hurried away under security protection.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has also stepped in to work to address the tensions, setting up a special task force to address the controversy.

Administrative Challenges

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

A great deal of it stems from local power struggles at a area administrative level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded recently – who was a key supporter of the project.

And it looks like the leadership of the recently elected official, a close ally of the regional monarch, called the Oba, may seek greater involvement in the initiative. The protesters on Sunday, for case, were insisting that the museum be positioned under the control of Oba Ewuare II.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This highlights the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of the region's most famous historical legacy.

Because though the facility does eventually open, these artifacts will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden artworks that once adorned the royal palace of the historical empire before UK forces took them in the late nineteenth century during a military operation.

Nowadays, numerous stay spread across museums in the West -- including the UK institution, German museum and the New York institution.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested debates in the international art community. Approximately 150 have currently been returned – and additional are expected to return.

When proposals for the museum in the city were first announced in 2019, the movers and shakers on the national arts community anticipated it would become their perfect venue – a state-of-the-art facility to exhibit them to the world.

But the waters were muddied recently after the central administration stated that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of returned objects – and the royal household advocated for a institution under the king's authority, contrary to the wishes of the former governor.

Strategic Positioning

This left Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a specific viewpoint on return while remaining diplomatic on ownership – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c