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Nigeria's impressive new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of area political conflicts during the period it was scheduled to – but was unable – to begin operations to the public for the very first time.

The Major Initiative

The six-hectare complex stands in the core of Benin City, main city of the southern area of Edo – and contains an historical dig and structures created by celebrated dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is envisioned to celebrate both the history and the present of artistic expression in the region known for the Benin Bronzes, artworks taken from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the nineteenth century.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and before the anticipated opening, Mowaa was buzzing with staff resolved to demonstrate it is a place that can compete with renowned museums and galleries in the Western world.

Internally art restorers carefully revealed cultural items from safety materials, inspecting each item and taking meticulous records before positioning them on display surfaces and bases.

Experts fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the scientific facility, officers set up equipment meant to preserve centuries-old objects.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

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

"I hope us to have a significant economic impact on local residents around here," he told journalists, noting that he hoped to make the city "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a non-profit Nigerian institution, aims at creating in excess of 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributing above $80m per year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and events.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has taken $25m to get here – funds raised from multiple contributors, such as the European governments, the London institution and the Edo state government.

But currently the state authorities has pulled the rug from under it – revoking the use of the site on which the museum was built.

An Edo state spokesperson explained this was because in the early agreements it had identified as EMOWAA – and it had later removed "the regional name" from its designation.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement came after protests on recently, when protesters stormed the facility calling for it be named the Benin Royal Museum.

A boisterous group confronted international visitors at the facility before the opening – forcing them to be quickly removed under security protection.

National leader Bola Tinubu has also intervened to try and resolve the dispute, setting up a special task force to do some damage control.

Administrative Challenges

But why has this evolved into so divisive – and such a public relations crisis?

Much of it comes down to internal conflicts at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose governance concluded recently – who was a primary advocate of the project.

And it looks like the government of the new governor, a key associate of the area king, known as the Oba, may seek more of a stake in the venture. The activists on the weekend, for case, were demanding that the facility be positioned under the control of the royal leader.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

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

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

They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden carvings that once embellished the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces took them in the late nineteenth century during a colonial invasion.

Today, thousands continue to be distributed across galleries in the West -- featuring the London museum, German museum and the American museum.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most debated discussions in the worldwide cultural sector. Roughly 150 have presently made their way home – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.

When proposals for the facility in Benin City were initially revealed in the pre-pandemic era, the key players on the national arts community expected it would become their perfect venue – a state-of-the-art facility to exhibit them to the global audience.

But the waters were muddied two years ago after the national authorities stated that the Oba would be the legal custodian of returned objects – and the monarch's court advocated for a institution under the monarch's supervision, against the desires of the ex-leader.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: maintaining a definite position on restitution while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c