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Nigeria's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has landed in the middle of regional political struggles during the time it was expected to – but did not manage – to open its doors to the public for the very first time.

The Major Initiative

The six-hectare facility is located in the core of Benin City, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and includes an excavation site and buildings designed by celebrated dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, particularly noted for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been five years in the development – and is envisioned to showcase both the history and the current era of artistic expression in the region known for the historic artworks, historical pieces looted from the royal palace by UK forces in the 19th Century.

Preparation and Promise

It is remarkable – and prior to the scheduled opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers determined to show it is a venue that can rival established cultural centers in the West.

Internally art restorers precisely revealed artworks from secure wrapping, checking each piece and taking meticulous notes before positioning them on walls and stands.

Specialists calibrated environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, staff members adjusted instruments designed to preserve centuries-old items.

Investment and Economic Plans

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

"I want us to have a major economic benefit on local residents around here," he explained to the press, mentioning that he hoped to make the city "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable national foundation, sees itself generating in excess of 30,000 work positions and adding over $80m annually to the area arts sector through partnerships and activities.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has required $25m to get here – capital gathered from various donors, featuring the French and German governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

But currently the local government has withdrawn support from beneath it – canceling the use of the property on which the museum was built.

An Edo state spokesperson clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as the Edo-named institution – and it had later dropped "the regional name" from its name.

Unrest and Official Response

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

A boisterous assembly confronted foreign guests at the facility ahead of the opening – requiring them to be quickly removed under official guard.

National leader Bola Tinubu has even stepped in to try and resolve the tensions, setting up a special task force to do some damage control.

Governance Issues

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

Much of it comes down to internecine rivalries at a local state level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office concluded recently – who was a primary advocate of the museum.

And it looks like the administration of the new governor, a strong supporter of the area king, referred to as the royal figure, may desire increased control in the project. The activists on the weekend, for instance, were demanding that the museum be positioned under the supervision of Oba Ewuare II.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

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

Because even if the facility does eventually open, these objects will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, ivory and timber carvings that once decorated the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before British soldiers took them in the late nineteenth century during a colonial invasion.

Today, thousands stay scattered across institutions in Europe and North America -- featuring the London museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the New York institution.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their repatriation has become one of the most debated discussions in the international art community. Approximately 150 have now made their way home – and additional are expected to return.

When ideas for the facility in Benin City were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the key players on the country's cultural sector anticipated it would become their natural home – a modern campus to show them off to the global audience.

But the situation became complicated two years ago after the national authorities stated that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of returned objects – and the palace pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the preferences of Obaseki.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: expressing a specific viewpoint on return while staying tactful on custodianship – and stressing its larger purpose, which led to|c