Nigeria's stunning new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has landed 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 first time.
The Grand Vision
The 15-acre campus is located in the center of Benin City, capital of the southern region of Edo – and includes an historical dig and structures designed by high-profile Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that was inaugurated in Washington DC in 2016.
It has been 60 months in the development – and is designed to celebrate both the history and the current era of creativity in the region famous for the Benin Bronzes, artworks looted from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.
Setup and Prospects
It is notable – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with workers determined to show it is a institution that can match renowned art institutions in the Europe and America.
Within preservation experts precisely opened artworks from safety materials, checking each artifact and taking detailed documentation before arranging them on display surfaces and bases.
Experts calibrated temperature regulation systems. In the scientific facility, staff members calibrated devices meant to preserve ancient objects.
Funding and Economic Goals
The venture has been the brainchild of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's executive director.
"I want us to have a substantial financial effect on area populations in this region," he stated to media outlets, noting that he aspired to make the city "a cultural destination."
Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, envisions itself establishing in excess of 30,000 employment opportunities and adding more than $80m each year to the regional creative economy through partnerships and programming.
Funding Sources and Political Challenges
It has required $25m to reach this point – capital collected from multiple donors, such as the French and German governments, the British Museum and the local administration.
But now the regional administration has revoked permission from beneath it – terminating the use of the property on which the building was erected.
An Edo state spokesperson stated this was because in the original paperwork it had identified as the Edo-named institution – and it had subsequently removed "the regional name" from its name.
Demonstrations and Government Action
This statement came after demonstrations on the weekend, when activists stormed the facility insisting it be named the Royal Benin Museum.
A disruptive assembly insulted overseas dignitaries at the facility ahead of the launch – compelling them to be escorted out under official guard.
President Bola Tinubu has even become involved to work to address the tensions, setting up a presidential committee to manage the situation.
Administrative Challenges
But how has this turned into so politicised – and such a PR disaster?
The majority of it results from local power struggles at a local state level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended the previous year – who was a key supporter of the project.
And it looks like the government of the recently elected official, a close ally of the local traditional ruler, called the traditional leader, may seek increased control in the venture. The protesters on that day, for instance, were insisting that the institution be put under the authority of the royal leader.
The Benin Bronzes Controversy
This emphasizes the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most renowned cultural treasures.
Because although the institution does eventually begin operations, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.
They are metal, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once adorned the royal palace of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops looted them in the colonial era during a punitive expedition.
Today, many continue to be spread across galleries in Europe and North America -- such as the London museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Return Initiatives
Their repatriation has become one of the most debated debates in the worldwide cultural sector. Approximately 150 have presently come back – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.
When proposals for the facility in Benin City were originally proposed in the pre-pandemic era, the movers and shakers on the country's cultural sector expected it would become their natural home – a advanced complex to exhibit them to the international community.
But the situation became complicated two years ago after the federal government announced that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of returned objects – and the monarch's court campaigned for a institution under the royal family's direct control, against the preferences of Obaseki.
Diplomatic Challenges
This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: maintaining a definite position on restitution while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and stressing its wider mission, which led to|c
