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Nigeria's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of local power politics during the time it was scheduled to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the public for the first time.

The Grand Vision

The six-hectare facility sits in the heart of Benin's urban center, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and structures planned by renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in Washington in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is designed to honor both the past and the present of artistic expression in the area known for the Benin Bronzes, artworks taken from the royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.

Setup and Prospects

It is impressive – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with workers committed to demonstrate it is a institution that can compete with established museums and galleries in the Europe and America.

Internally art restorers meticulously opened artworks from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking detailed notes before positioning them on exhibition areas and bases.

Experts fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the materials science laboratory, personnel adjusted instruments designed to preserve centuries-old artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

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

"I aim us to have a major economic benefit on area populations in this region," he told journalists, noting that he aspired to make the city "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, envisions itself creating over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributing above $80m annually to the regional creative economy through partnerships and programming.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has required $25m to achieve this stage – money gathered from different contributors, such as the international partners, the London institution and the local administration.

But currently the state authorities has withdrawn support from below it – terminating the use of the land on which the building was erected.

An government communicator stated this was because in the initial documents it had called itself the Edo-named institution – and it had since dropped "the state identifier" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This statement came after demonstrations on the weekend, when activists stormed the complex demanding it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A rowdy crowd confronted international visitors at the facility ahead of the launch – forcing them to be hurried away under official guard.

President Bola Tinubu has even become involved to work to address the conflict, establishing a high-level committee to do some damage control.

Governance Issues

But in what way has this become so politicised – and such a reputation problem?

A great deal of it comes down to internal conflicts at a regional government level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office finished the previous year – who was a key supporter of the initiative.

And it seems the administration of the recently elected official, a key associate of the local traditional ruler, referred to as the Oba, may seek increased control in the project. The activists on the weekend, for example, were insisting that the facility be put under the control of the royal leader.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This brings into focus the controversial matter of the Benin Bronzes, one of the continent's most renowned historical legacy.

Because though the museum does eventually open, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, elephant tusk and wooden artworks that once embellished the king's residence of the ancient kingdom before British soldiers took them in the late nineteenth century during a colonial invasion.

Currently, numerous continue to be distributed across museums in the West -- such as the London museum, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most debated debates in the international art community. Approximately 150 have presently been returned – and further are expected to return.

When plans for the facility in the urban center were initially revealed in 2019, the movers and shakers on the country's cultural sector anticipated it would become their ideal location – a advanced complex to display them to the world.

But the waters were muddied recently after the federal government declared that the traditional ruler would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the royal household campaigned for a museum under the king's authority, against the preferences of the ex-leader.

Strategic Positioning

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