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The nation's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the crosshairs of area political conflicts during the period it was scheduled to – but failed – to begin operations to the visitors for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The large-scale complex sits in the core of the Edo state capital, administrative center of the southern region of Edo – and includes an excavation site and facilities planned by high-profile Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been five years in the creation – and is designed to honor both the heritage and the present of cultural innovation in the region known for the Benin Bronzes, artworks looted from the king's palace by British troops in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

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

Internally art restorers precisely opened art pieces from secure wrapping, checking each piece and taking thorough notes before arranging them on exhibition areas and bases.

Technicians adjusted environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, personnel set up devices meant to conserve ancient artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

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

"I want us to have a significant financial effect on local residents in this region," he told the press, adding that he hoped to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, envisions itself creating in excess of 30,000 employment opportunities and providing over $80m annually to the area arts sector through partnerships and events.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has needed $25m to reach this point – money raised from different contributors, featuring the French and German governments, the UK museum and the local administration.

But at present the state authorities has withdrawn support from beneath it – terminating the utilization of the site on which the facility was constructed.

An government communicator clarified this was because in the early agreements it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had subsequently eliminated "the state identifier" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This statement was preceded by protests on Sunday, when people stormed the campus calling for it be designated the Benin Royal Museum.

A disruptive crowd harassed overseas dignitaries at the museum prior to the launch – forcing them to be quickly removed under police escort.

President Bola Tinubu has even intervened to work to address the tensions, creating a presidential committee to address the controversy.

Governance Issues

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

The majority of it comes down to internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded recently – who was a key supporter of the initiative.

And it looks like the administration of the recently elected official, a strong supporter of the area king, called the royal figure, may seek greater involvement in the initiative. The demonstrators on the weekend, for example, were demanding that the museum be put under the authority of Oba Ewuare II.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the contentious issue of the Benin Bronzes, one of Africa's most celebrated cultural treasures.

Because though the institution does ultimately begin operations, these bronzes will be clearly not present.

They are metal, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once adorned the royal palace of the historical empire before UK forces stole them in the colonial era during a punitive expedition.

Currently, thousands remain scattered across museums in Western nations -- featuring the UK institution, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested debates in the international art community. About 150 have presently made their way home – and more are due to follow.

When ideas for the museum in the city were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the influential figures on the national arts community expected it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art campus to display them to the international community.

But the situation became complicated two years ago after the federal government declared that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the palace pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, opposing the desires of Obaseki.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a definite position on restitution while being careful on custodianship – and highlighting its wider mission, which led to|c