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Nigeria's impressive 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 public for the first time.

The Ambitious Project

The large-scale facility is located in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern state of Edo – and includes an archaeological dig and structures created by high-profile dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the making – and is envisioned to showcase both the history and the modern times of cultural innovation in the locale known for the historic artworks, artworks taken from the royal palace by British soldiers in the 19th Century.

Preparation and Promise

It is notable – and ahead of the anticipated opening, Mowaa was active with employees determined to prove it is a place that can match well-known museums and galleries in the Western world.

Within preservation experts meticulously opened artworks from secure wrapping, checking each piece and taking meticulous documentation before arranging them on exhibition areas and stands.

Specialists fine-tuned environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, personnel calibrated devices meant to maintain ancient items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The venture has been the concept of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – presently Mowaa's executive director.

"I want us to have a significant economic benefit on local residents in the vicinity," he explained to the press, mentioning that he aspired to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a non-profit national foundation, envisions itself creating more than 30,000 employment opportunities and adding above $80m per year to the local cultural industry through alliances and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has taken $25m to achieve this stage – money gathered from various donors, featuring the European governments, the British Museum and the local administration.

But at present the regional administration has withdrawn support from below it – revoking the utilization of the site on which the building was erected.

An official representative stated this was because in the original paperwork it had identified as the Edo-named institution – and it had later eliminated "Edo" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This declaration followed protests on recently, when people entered the complex calling for it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A rowdy assembly confronted international visitors at the museum before the opening – requiring them to be escorted out under security protection.

President Bola Tinubu has even intervened to try and resolve the tensions, setting up a high-level committee to address the controversy.

Governance Issues

But why has this evolved into so politicised – and such a reputation problem?

A great deal of it stems from local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose administration ended the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the project.

And it looks like the government of the recently elected official, a key associate of the area king, called the traditional leader, may desire greater involvement in the project. The demonstrators on that day, for case, were insisting that the museum be positioned under the supervision of Oba Ewuare II.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the Benin Bronzes, one of the continent's most famous historical legacy.

Because even if the facility does ultimately welcome visitors, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, ivory and wooden carvings that once embellished the king's residence of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces looted them in the late nineteenth century during a military operation.

Nowadays, many remain scattered across institutions in Europe and North America -- such as the UK institution, European center and the New York institution.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their homecoming has become one of the most disputed discussions in the worldwide cultural sector. Roughly 150 have currently come back – and more are expected to return.

When proposals for the facility in the city were originally proposed in 2019, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene anticipated it would become their ideal location – a state-of-the-art campus to exhibit them to the world.

But the waters were muddied recently after the national authorities announced that the traditional ruler would be the rightful owner of returned objects – and the palace pushed for a institution under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the wishes of the former governor.

Political Navigation

This left Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a specific viewpoint on return while being careful on custodianship – and highlighting its wider mission, which led to|c