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Nigeria's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has landed in the crosshairs of area political conflicts during the week it was supposed to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the general public for the very first time.

The Major Initiative

The 15-acre campus sits in the core of Benin City, main city of the southern region of Edo – and contains an archaeological dig and structures created by celebrated British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in the US capital in 2016.

It has been five years in the making – and is designed to celebrate both the heritage and the present of creativity in the area known for the Benin Bronzes, artworks looted from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with employees determined to demonstrate it is a venue that can rival well-known museums and galleries in the West.

Within preservation experts precisely revealed artworks from protective packaging, examining each item and taking meticulous records before arranging them on exhibition areas and bases.

Specialists adjusted climate control systems. In the scientific facility, personnel set up devices intended to preserve ancient objects.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

The initiative has been the idea of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's chief executive.

"I hope us to have a major economic benefit on communities in the vicinity," he explained to the press, noting that he hoped to make Benin City "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, sees itself creating over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and providing more than $80m each year to the local cultural industry through partnerships and activities.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has needed $25m to reach this point – capital collected from different contributors, featuring the international partners, the British Museum and the local administration.

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

An government communicator explained this was because in the early agreements it had identified as the Edo-named institution – and it had since removed "Edo" from its name.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This declaration was preceded by protests on Sunday, when people invaded the facility calling for it be called the Royal Benin Museum.

A rowdy assembly harassed foreign guests at the museum before the inauguration – compelling them to be escorted out under security protection.

President Bola Tinubu has additionally become involved to attempt to settle the tensions, setting up a special task force to do some damage control.

Administrative Challenges

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

The majority of it comes down to local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose administration ended recently – who was a key supporter of the initiative.

And it looks like the government of the new governor, a close ally of the regional monarch, referred to as the royal figure, may want increased control in the project. The demonstrators on the weekend, for example, were demanding that the institution be positioned under the supervision of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most celebrated artistic heritage.

Because though the institution does ultimately welcome visitors, these objects will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, ivory and wooden carvings that once decorated the royal palace of the historical empire before UK forces took them in 1897 during a military operation.

Today, thousands continue to be scattered across museums in Europe and North America -- such as the London museum, German museum and the American museum.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their repatriation has become one of the most contested discussions in the international art community. Roughly 150 have presently made their way home – and more are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in Benin City were originally proposed in 2019, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their natural home – a modern campus to show them off to the global audience.

But the waters were muddied some time back after the federal government stated that the Oba would be the rightful owner of repatriated artifacts – and the palace campaigned for a museum under the monarch's supervision, against the preferences of Obaseki.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a definite position on return while being careful on ownership – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c