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Nigeria's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has landed in the center of local power politics during the week it was scheduled to – but did not manage – to open its doors to the general public for the initial occasion.

The Major Initiative

The large-scale complex is located in the center of Benin City, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an archaeological dig and facilities planned by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is designed to showcase both the past and the present of artistic expression in the locale known for the historic artworks, historical pieces looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.

Readiness and Potential

It is remarkable – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with employees determined to show it is a institution that can match established art institutions in the Western world.

Internally preservation experts meticulously unwrapped artworks from protective packaging, checking each item and taking thorough notes before placing them on display surfaces and bases.

Technicians calibrated environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, personnel calibrated devices intended to preserve historical items.

Investment and Economic Plans

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

"I aim us to have a significant economic benefit on communities in the vicinity," he told journalists, noting that he aspired to make this urban center "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a non-profit Nigerian institution, aims at generating in excess of 30,000 work positions and contributing above $80m each year to the area arts sector through partnerships and programming.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has taken $25m to get here – money gathered from various donors, such as the European governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

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

An official representative clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had later eliminated "the regional name" from its designation.

Protests and Political Intervention

This statement was preceded by protests on Sunday, when protesters stormed the campus insisting it be called the Royal Benin Museum.

A rowdy assembly insulted international visitors at the facility prior to the opening – requiring them to be escorted out under police escort.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has even stepped in to try and resolve the conflict, creating a presidential committee to do some damage control.

Political Complexities

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

A great deal of it comes down to internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded last year – who was a key supporter of the museum.

And it seems the government of the recently elected official, a key associate of the area king, referred to as the traditional leader, may seek greater involvement in the venture. The protesters on the weekend, for case, were insisting that the museum be put under the control of the current Oba.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This brings into focus the controversial matter of the historical artworks, one of the region's most celebrated cultural treasures.

Because even if the museum does eventually begin operations, these objects will be clearly not present.

They are brass, elephant tusk and timber carvings that once decorated the monarch's home of the historical empire before UK forces took them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Nowadays, numerous continue to be scattered across museums in the West -- including the UK institution, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Return Initiatives

Their homecoming has become one of the most debated debates in the international art community. Roughly 150 have currently been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in the city were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the movers and shakers on the country's cultural sector anticipated it would become their perfect venue – a advanced complex to show them off to the global audience.

But the issues became confused recently after the national authorities stated that the Oba would be the proper guardian of repatriated artifacts – and the royal household advocated for a facility under the monarch's supervision, contrary to the wishes of the former governor.

Political Navigation

This left Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a definite position on return while remaining diplomatic on guardianship – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c