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The nation's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the crosshairs of local power politics during the period it was scheduled to – but was unable – to welcome visitors to the public for the initial occasion.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare complex sits in the center of Benin's urban center, capital of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and buildings designed by renowned Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is designed to celebrate both the heritage and the modern times of creativity in the area famous for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces stolen from the royal palace by British troops in the 1800s.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and ahead of the planned opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers determined to prove it is a venue that can compete with established cultural centers in the Western world.

Within conservators meticulously opened artworks from safety materials, examining each piece and taking meticulous documentation before positioning them on walls and bases.

Specialists calibrated environmental controls. In the research lab, personnel calibrated equipment meant to preserve ancient objects.

Investment and Economic Plans

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

"I aim us to have a substantial financial effect on local residents around here," he told the press, noting that he wanted to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, envisions itself generating over 30,000 work positions and contributing above $80m each year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has needed $25m to reach this point – funds raised from various donors, featuring the international partners, the British Museum and the local administration.

But currently the local government has pulled the rug from under it – terminating the use of the site on which the building was erected.

An government communicator explained this was because in the initial documents it had identified as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later eliminated "the regional name" from its designation.

Unrest and Official Response

This declaration came after protests on recently, when people stormed the campus demanding it be named the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A rowdy crowd harassed foreign guests at the venue before the opening – forcing them to be escorted out under security protection.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has additionally become involved to attempt to settle the conflict, setting up a presidential committee to manage the situation.

Administrative Challenges

But why has this become so politicised – and such a public relations crisis?

The majority of it stems from internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose governance ended last year – who was a key supporter of the project.

And it looks like the administration of the new governor, a close ally of the area king, known as the royal figure, may want increased control in the initiative. The activists on that day, for example, were demanding that the facility be positioned under the control of the royal leader.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of Africa's most renowned historical legacy.

Because though the museum does ultimately begin operations, these objects will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, elephant tusk and timber sculptures that once adorned the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before British soldiers stole them in the colonial era during a colonial invasion.

Today, many stay distributed across galleries in the West -- such as the British Museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their repatriation has become one of the most contested discussions in the global art world. Roughly 150 have now come back – and more are scheduled to be repatriated.

When ideas for the museum in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the movers and shakers on the country's cultural sector expected it would become their natural home – a advanced complex to exhibit them to the world.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the central administration announced 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, against the wishes of the ex-leader.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: expressing a clear stance on restitution while being careful on custodianship – and stressing its larger purpose, which led to|c