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Nigeria's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has landed in the crosshairs of local power politics during the time it was expected to – but failed – to open its doors to the general public for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The six-hectare complex stands in the center of Benin City, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and features an excavation site and facilities designed by celebrated Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Washington African American Museum that opened in Washington in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the making – and is designed to celebrate both the past and the modern times of cultural innovation in the region famous for the historic artworks, historical pieces stolen from the royal palace by British troops in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

It is remarkable – and prior to the anticipated opening, Mowaa was energetic with employees resolved to demonstrate it is a institution that can compete with established cultural centers in the Western world.

Internally art restorers meticulously revealed cultural items from safety materials, checking each piece and taking meticulous documentation before positioning them on walls and plinths.

Technicians fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the materials science laboratory, personnel set up devices intended to preserve centuries-old artefacts.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

The initiative has been the brainchild of investor Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's chief executive.

"I aim us to have a major economic benefit on local residents in the vicinity," he stated to journalists, mentioning that he wanted to make the city "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, aims at creating over 30,000 work positions and contributing more than $80m annually to the local cultural industry through partnerships and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has needed $25m to achieve this stage – capital raised from various supporters, featuring the European governments, the British Museum and the local administration.

But at present the local government has pulled the rug from below it – revoking the use of the site on which the building was erected.

An official representative explained this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since dropped "the regional name" from its designation.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This announcement was preceded by protests on recently, when people entered the campus demanding it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A disruptive group insulted overseas dignitaries at the facility prior to the inauguration – forcing them to be escorted out under official guard.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has even stepped in to attempt to settle the tensions, establishing a high-level committee to address the controversy.

Governance Issues

But how has this turned into so divisive – and such a public relations crisis?

Much of it stems from local power struggles at a area administrative level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office concluded last year – who was a key supporter of the project.

And it appears the leadership of the recently elected official, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, known as the Oba, may want more of a stake in the initiative. The protesters on the weekend, for example, were insisting that the facility be positioned under the authority of the royal leader.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This emphasizes the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most celebrated historical legacy.

Because although the facility does ultimately welcome visitors, these bronzes will be clearly not present.

They are brass, elephant tusk and timber carvings that once adorned the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops stole them in the colonial era during a punitive expedition.

Today, many stay distributed across galleries in Europe and North America -- featuring the UK institution, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the New York institution.

Restitution Efforts

Their return has become one of the most debated conversations in the global art world. Roughly 150 have now made their way home – and more are scheduled to be repatriated.

When proposals for the institution in Benin City were originally proposed in the pre-pandemic era, the influential figures on the country's cultural sector anticipated it would become their natural home – a advanced complex to exhibit them to the global audience.

But the situation became complicated recently after the federal government announced that the Oba would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, opposing the preferences of Obaseki.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: asserting a specific viewpoint on return while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c