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

The Ambitious Project

The 15-acre campus sits in the center of Benin's urban center, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and facilities created by renowned Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Washington African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the development – and is designed to showcase both the past and the present of creativity in the locale renowned for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces taken from the city's royal palace by British troops in the nineteenth century.

Preparation and Promise

It is remarkable – and before the planned opening, Mowaa was active with staff determined to show it is a institution that can rival renowned museums and galleries in the Western world.

Inside preservation experts precisely revealed artworks from protective packaging, examining each artifact and taking meticulous notes before positioning them on walls and stands.

Experts calibrated climate control systems. In the materials science laboratory, personnel adjusted devices designed to preserve historical items.

Funding and Economic Goals

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

"I aim us to have a substantial economic benefit on area populations around here," he explained to the press, noting that he hoped to make Benin City "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a non-profit national foundation, aims at creating more than 30,000 work positions and providing over $80m annually to the local cultural industry through alliances and programming.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has taken $25m to reach this point – capital collected from various donors, featuring the international partners, the British Museum and the Edo state government.

But now the local government has pulled the rug from beneath it – terminating the use of the land on which the building was erected.

An official representative clarified this was because in the early agreements it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had later removed "Edo" from its name.

Protests and Political Intervention

This announcement was preceded by rallies on the weekend, when people stormed the complex insisting it be named the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A disruptive assembly confronted foreign guests at the venue before the launch – requiring them to be quickly removed under security protection.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has even become involved to try and resolve the conflict, setting up a presidential committee to do some damage control.

Governance Issues

But in what way has this turned into so controversial – and such a PR disaster?

Much of it comes down to internal conflicts at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended recently – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.

And it looks like the government of the new governor, a strong supporter of the local traditional ruler, referred to as the Oba, may want more of a stake in the venture. The demonstrators on Sunday, for case, were demanding that the institution be positioned under the control of the current Oba.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the disputed topic of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most celebrated historical legacy.

Because although the institution does ultimately begin operations, these bronzes will be noticeably missing.

They are brass, ivory and wooden artworks that once decorated the king's residence of the historical empire before UK forces stole them in the colonial era during a colonial invasion.

Today, thousands continue to be distributed across institutions in Europe and North America -- including the British Museum, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their return has become one of the most contested debates in the global art world. Roughly 150 have presently been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.

When proposals for the museum in the city were originally proposed in the pre-pandemic era, the key players on the country's cultural sector expected it would become their perfect venue – a modern campus to exhibit them to the international community.

But the situation became complicated some time back after the national authorities stated that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the royal household pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, opposing the preferences of Obaseki.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a clear stance on return while staying tactful on custodianship – and highlighting its larger purpose, which led to|c