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Nigeria's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of regional political struggles during the time it was scheduled to – but was unable – to begin operations to the visitors for the initial occasion.

The Grand Vision

The large-scale facility stands in the core of Benin City, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and structures planned by celebrated Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that was inaugurated in the US capital in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is envisioned to showcase both the history and the modern times of artistic expression in the area known for the Benin Bronzes, cultural objects stolen from the city's royal palace by British troops in the nineteenth century.

Setup and Prospects

It is notable – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers resolved to demonstrate it is a institution that can rival established art institutions in the West.

Within art restorers precisely opened cultural items from protective packaging, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous documentation before positioning them on display surfaces and bases.

Technicians calibrated temperature regulation systems. In the materials science laboratory, personnel adjusted devices meant to maintain centuries-old objects.

Investment and Economic Plans

The project has been the idea of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – presently Mowaa's managing director.

"I want us to have a major financial effect on communities around here," he told journalists, adding that he aspired to make the city "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, envisions itself generating in excess of 30,000 employment opportunities and adding over $80m per year to the regional creative economy through partnerships and events.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has required $25m to achieve this stage – funds raised from different contributors, including the French and German governments, the London institution and the local administration.

But now the regional administration has pulled the rug from under it – canceling the occupancy of the site on which the museum was built.

An government communicator explained this was because in the early agreements it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since removed "the regional name" from its name.

Protests and Political Intervention

This announcement followed demonstrations on Sunday, when activists entered the complex insisting it be called the Benin Royal Museum.

A boisterous assembly insulted foreign guests at the museum prior to the inauguration – requiring them to be hurried away under official guard.

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

Political Complexities

But how has this become so controversial – and such a reputation problem?

Much of it results from internecine rivalries at a area administrative level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded last year – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.

And it appears the administration of the recently elected official, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, known as the traditional leader, may want increased control in the project. The activists on Sunday, for example, were demanding that the museum be placed under the control of the royal leader.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This highlights the disputed topic of the Benin Bronzes, one of the region's most renowned cultural treasures.

Because although the institution does ultimately welcome visitors, these objects will be noticeably missing.

They are metal, ivory and timber sculptures that once decorated the king's residence of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops stole them in the late nineteenth century during a colonial invasion.

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

Return Initiatives

Their repatriation has become one of the most debated discussions in the international art community. About 150 have presently been returned – and further are due to follow.

When proposals for the facility in Benin City were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art facility to display them to the international community.

But the issues became confused recently after the federal government stated that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the royal household pushed for a museum under the king's authority, contrary to the preferences of Obaseki.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a specific viewpoint on repatriation while staying tactful on custodianship – and highlighting its wider mission, which led to|c