Nigeria's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of local power politics during the time it was scheduled to – but failed – to welcome visitors to the general public for the first time.
The 15-acre campus sits in the heart of Benin's urban center, administrative center of the southern region of Edo – and features an archaeological dig and buildings created by celebrated British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in Washington in 2016.
It has been 60 months in the development – and is planned to honor both the heritage and the modern times of artistic expression in the region known for the cultural artifacts, historical pieces looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 19th Century.
It is remarkable – and prior to the planned opening, Mowaa was buzzing with employees committed to demonstrate it is a institution that can compete with renowned museums and galleries in the Europe and America.
Within preservation experts meticulously unwrapped art pieces from secure wrapping, examining each artifact and taking meticulous documentation before arranging them on exhibition areas and bases.
Technicians adjusted temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, personnel calibrated instruments intended to maintain historical items.
The initiative has been the brainchild of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's chief executive.
"I aim us to have a significant economic impact on communities around here," he stated to media outlets, mentioning that he hoped to make the city "an arts hub."
Mowaa, a not-for-profit local organization, aims at establishing over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and providing above $80m annually to the local cultural industry through collaborations and programming.
It has required $25m to get here – money collected from different donors, featuring the European governments, the London institution and the regional authorities.
But currently the local government has revoked permission from beneath it – canceling the use of the property on which the facility was constructed.
An government communicator clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had later eliminated "Edo" from its title.
This declaration was preceded by rallies on recently, when protesters invaded the complex demanding it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.
A disruptive assembly harassed foreign guests at the museum before the inauguration – requiring them to be hurried away under security protection.
President Bola Tinubu has also stepped in to attempt to settle the conflict, creating a special task force to address the controversy.
But why has this become so controversial – and such a public relations crisis?
Much of it comes down to local power struggles at a area administrative level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office concluded recently – who was a primary advocate of the project.
And it seems the administration of the recently elected official, a close ally of the area king, referred to as the traditional leader, may desire more of a stake in the initiative. The demonstrators on that day, for example, were insisting that the museum be positioned under the control of the current Oba.
This brings into focus the contentious issue of the cultural artifacts, one of the continent's most celebrated artistic heritage.
Because although the facility does eventually open, these objects will be noticeably missing.
They are brass, ivory and wooden sculptures that once adorned the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops took them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.
Today, many continue to be distributed across institutions in Western nations -- such as the London museum, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Their homecoming has become one of the most contested conversations in the global art world. Roughly 150 have now been returned – and additional are scheduled to be repatriated.
When proposals for the institution in the urban center were first announced in recent years, the key players on the country's cultural sector hoped it would become their perfect venue – a state-of-the-art facility to display them to the global audience.
But the waters were muddied recently after the federal government announced that the Oba would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the royal household advocated for a facility under the royal family's direct control, opposing the desires of the ex-leader.
This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: maintaining a specific viewpoint on restitution while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and highlighting its broader vision, which led to|c
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.