The nation's remarkable new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of local power politics during the week it was supposed to – but did not manage – to begin operations to the general public for the first time.
The Ambitious Project
The six-hectare complex is located in the center of Benin City, capital of the southern area of Edo – and includes an excavation site and structures created by renowned dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Washington African American Museum that was inaugurated in Washington DC in 2016.
It has been 60 months in the creation – and is planned to celebrate both the past and the modern times of artistic expression in the locale famous for the historic artworks, artworks stolen from the royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.
Preparation and Promise
It is impressive – and prior to the planned opening, Mowaa was active with staff committed to prove it is a place that can match well-known cultural centers in the Europe and America.
Inside preservation experts carefully opened artworks from protective packaging, inspecting each artifact and taking meticulous documentation before arranging them on exhibition areas and plinths.
Experts fine-tuned environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, staff members adjusted equipment designed to preserve centuries-old artefacts.
Funding and Economic Goals
The project has been the idea of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's managing director.
"I want us to have a major financial effect on area populations around here," he told the press, noting that he wanted to make the city "a cultural destination."
Mowaa, a charitable local organization, sees itself generating more than 30,000 employment opportunities and providing more than $80m per year to the area arts sector through alliances and activities.
Financial Support and Government Issues
It has needed $25m to achieve this stage – funds raised from different supporters, including the international partners, the London institution and the Edo state government.
But currently the regional administration has revoked permission from beneath it – revoking the occupancy of the land on which the facility was constructed.
An Edo state spokesperson clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as the Edo-named institution – and it had since dropped "the regional name" from its title.
Demonstrations and Government Action
This declaration followed rallies on Sunday, when protesters entered the campus insisting it be named the Benin Royal Museum.
A boisterous assembly harassed international visitors at the museum prior to the opening – forcing them to be quickly removed under security protection.
Head of state Bola Tinubu has even stepped in to work to address the conflict, setting up a presidential committee to address the controversy.
Governance Issues
But how has this turned into so controversial – and such a public relations crisis?
Much of it results from internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose governance concluded the previous year – who was a major backer of the project.
And it appears the leadership of the current leader, a key associate of the local traditional ruler, called the Oba, may seek greater involvement in the initiative. The protesters on Sunday, for example, were insisting that the museum be positioned under the authority of the current Oba.
The Benin Bronzes Controversy
This highlights the disputed topic of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most renowned cultural treasures.
Because though the facility does eventually open, these bronzes will be clearly not present.
They are brass, ivory and wooden artworks that once decorated the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before British soldiers looted them in the colonial era during a military operation.
Currently, many remain distributed across museums in Western nations -- including the British Museum, German museum and the American museum.
Return Initiatives
Their homecoming has become one of the most debated debates in the worldwide cultural sector. Roughly 150 have currently been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.
When proposals for the institution in the urban center were first announced in recent years, the key players on the national arts community hoped it would become their ideal location – a modern facility to display them to the international community.
But the issues became confused some time back after the national authorities stated that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, against the desires of Obaseki.
Strategic Positioning
This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: asserting a clear stance on repatriation while staying tactful on guardianship – and highlighting its larger purpose, which led to|c
