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The nation's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has landed in the center of regional political struggles during the week it was scheduled to – but did not manage – to open its doors to the visitors for the first time.

The Major Initiative

The 15-acre complex sits in the core of Benin City, capital of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and buildings created by celebrated dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Washington African American Museum that began operations in Washington in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is designed to celebrate both the past and the modern times of cultural innovation in the area known for the cultural artifacts, cultural objects looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.

Setup and Prospects

It is remarkable – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with employees determined to demonstrate it is a place that can match established cultural centers in the Europe and America.

Internally art restorers precisely opened art pieces from protective packaging, checking each piece and taking detailed records before placing them on exhibition areas and plinths.

Technicians adjusted climate control systems. In the scientific facility, staff members calibrated devices designed to maintain historical items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The venture has been the concept of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's managing director.

"I hope us to have a major financial effect on area populations in this region," he told the press, adding that he hoped to make the city "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit Nigerian institution, aims at establishing in excess of 30,000 work positions and contributing over $80m per year to the area arts sector through collaborations and programming.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has needed $25m to reach this point – capital gathered from different donors, including the European governments, the British Museum and the Edo state government.

But currently the regional administration has pulled the rug from below it – terminating the occupancy of the property on which the museum was built.

An government communicator explained this was because in the original paperwork it had identified as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had since dropped "the regional name" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This declaration came after demonstrations on Sunday, when activists invaded the facility insisting it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A rowdy crowd insulted overseas dignitaries at the venue ahead of the opening – compelling them to be quickly removed under police escort.

President Bola Tinubu has also stepped in to try and resolve the tensions, setting up a presidential committee to do some damage control.

Political Complexities

But why has this evolved into so politicised – and such a PR disaster?

A great deal of it comes down to internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office concluded recently – who was a primary advocate of the initiative.

And it appears the leadership of the current leader, a key associate of the area king, called the royal figure, may desire more of a stake in the project. The protesters on that day, for case, were insisting that the museum be put under the supervision of the royal leader.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the contentious issue of the cultural artifacts, one of the continent's most famous cultural treasures.

Because although the museum does eventually begin operations, these objects will be noticeably missing.

They are brass, elephant tusk and timber sculptures that once adorned the king's residence of the ancient kingdom before UK forces looted them in the colonial era during a colonial invasion.

Currently, many continue to be scattered across galleries in Western nations -- featuring the London museum, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their return has become one of the most disputed discussions in the international art community. About 150 have now been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the museum in the city were first announced in 2019, the key players on Nigeria's art scene hoped it would become their perfect venue – a advanced complex to display them to the global audience.

But the situation became complicated some time back after the national authorities declared that the Oba would be the rightful owner of returned objects – and the monarch's court campaigned for a museum under the monarch's supervision, contrary to the desires of the former governor.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a specific viewpoint on repatriation while remaining diplomatic on ownership – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c