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The nation's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of local power politics during the period it was expected to – but did not manage – to begin operations to the visitors for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare campus sits in the core of Benin City, capital of the southern area of Edo – and contains an excavation site and facilities designed by celebrated Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Washington African American Museum that was inaugurated in Washington in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the making – and is planned to showcase both the past and the current era of artistic expression in the locale famous for the cultural artifacts, cultural objects stolen from the city's royal palace by British troops in the 19th Century.

Preparation and Promise

It is remarkable – and prior to the anticipated opening, Mowaa was buzzing with staff resolved to prove it is a place that can compete with renowned museums and galleries in the West.

Internally conservators meticulously opened cultural items from secure wrapping, checking each piece and taking detailed notes before placing them on walls and stands.

Experts adjusted temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, staff members calibrated instruments designed to conserve ancient artefacts.

Funding and Economic Goals

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

"I want us to have a major economic benefit on local residents in the vicinity," he explained to the press, noting that he hoped to make Benin City "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a non-profit national foundation, sees itself establishing over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and adding above $80m annually to the regional creative economy through collaborations and activities.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has needed $25m to reach this point – capital gathered from various donors, including the French and German governments, the British Museum and the local administration.

But at present the state authorities has revoked permission from under it – terminating the use of the property on which the museum was built.

An government communicator stated this was because in the early agreements it had identified as EMOWAA – and it had subsequently dropped "the state identifier" from its name.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement followed rallies on the weekend, when activists stormed the complex insisting it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A disruptive group harassed foreign guests at the venue before the launch – requiring them to be quickly removed under official guard.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has also stepped in to try and resolve the conflict, creating a high-level committee to manage the situation.

Political Complexities

But how has this become so divisive – and such a PR disaster?

A great deal of it comes down to local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office concluded the previous year – who was a key supporter of the project.

And it seems the administration of the new governor, a key associate of the regional monarch, referred to as the traditional leader, may want increased control in the initiative. The protesters on that day, for instance, were insisting that the facility be put under the control of Oba Ewuare II.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most renowned cultural treasures.

Because though the museum does eventually open, these bronzes will be noticeably missing.

They are metal, ivory and wooden sculptures that once adorned the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops took them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.

Nowadays, thousands remain scattered across galleries in the West -- featuring the UK institution, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

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

When ideas for the institution in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the influential figures on the national arts community anticipated it would become their natural home – a advanced campus to display them to the global audience.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the central administration stated that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of repatriated artifacts – and the palace pushed for a institution under the monarch's supervision, opposing the wishes of the ex-leader.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: maintaining a clear stance on restitution while being careful on ownership – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c