🔗 Share this article

The nation's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the crosshairs of area political conflicts during the period it was expected to – but was unable – to open its doors to the visitors for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The six-hectare campus sits in the heart of Benin City, capital of the southern area of Edo – and includes an excavation site and facilities designed by renowned Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington in 2016.

It has been five years in the making – and is planned to celebrate both the past and the modern times of artistic expression in the locale famous for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces taken from the royal palace by British troops in the 19th Century.

Preparation and Promise

It is impressive – and before the anticipated opening, Mowaa was active with employees committed to demonstrate it is a institution that can compete with well-known museums and galleries in the West.

Inside preservation experts carefully unwrapped artworks from secure wrapping, checking each item and taking meticulous notes before arranging them on walls and bases.

Experts fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the materials science laboratory, staff members adjusted devices intended to maintain historical items.

Funding and Economic Goals

The initiative has been the idea of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's chief executive.

"I want us to have a major economic benefit on area populations around here," he told the press, adding that he aspired to make Benin City "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a charitable local organization, aims at establishing more than 30,000 work positions and providing over $80m per year to the local cultural industry through partnerships and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has required $25m to achieve this stage – capital gathered from various contributors, featuring the French and German governments, the British Museum and the regional authorities.

But now the state authorities has revoked permission from under it – canceling the occupancy of the land on which the museum was built.

An government communicator clarified this was because in the early agreements it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later dropped "the regional name" from its title.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement followed rallies on recently, when people invaded the campus demanding it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A disruptive group harassed overseas dignitaries at the venue prior to the opening – forcing them to be hurried away under official guard.

President Bola Tinubu has additionally become involved to try and resolve the dispute, establishing a high-level committee to address the controversy.

Administrative Challenges

But why has this evolved into so politicised – and such a public relations crisis?

Much of it comes down to internal conflicts at a local state level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended recently – who was a major backer of the initiative.

And it seems the leadership of the current leader, a key associate of the regional monarch, known as the royal figure, may want more of a stake in the initiative. The protesters on Sunday, for example, were insisting that the museum be placed under the control of the royal leader.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This highlights the contentious issue of the Benin Bronzes, one of the continent's most celebrated cultural treasures.

Because even if the facility does ultimately begin operations, these artifacts will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, elephant tusk and wooden artworks that once embellished the king's residence of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops took them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Nowadays, many stay spread across galleries in the West -- such as the UK institution, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Return Initiatives

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested conversations in the global art world. Approximately 150 have now made their way home – and further are expected to return.

When ideas for the institution in Benin City were initially revealed in 2019, the influential figures on the national arts community expected it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art campus to exhibit them to the world.

But the issues became confused some time back after the central administration announced that the Oba would be the rightful owner of returned objects – and the palace pushed for a facility under the king's authority, contrary to the wishes of the ex-leader.

Political Navigation

This left Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a definite position on return while staying tactful on ownership – and stressing its broader vision, which led to|c