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The nation's impressive new Art Museum of West Africa (Mowaa) has found itself in the center of regional political struggles during the time it was supposed to – but did not manage – to begin operations to the public for the initial occasion.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare complex sits in the center of Benin City, capital of the southern area of Edo – and includes an excavation site and facilities planned by renowned British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Smithsonian African American Museum that began operations in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the making – and is planned to celebrate both the history and the modern times of creativity in the area famous for the Benin Bronzes, cultural objects looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the nineteenth century.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with staff resolved to prove it is a venue that can rival established museums and galleries in the Europe and America.

Within preservation experts precisely opened art pieces from secure wrapping, inspecting each piece and taking meticulous records before positioning them on exhibition areas and plinths.

Experts fine-tuned environmental controls. In the research lab, officers calibrated equipment meant to preserve historical artefacts.

Funding and Economic Goals

The project has been the brainchild of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's managing director.

"I aim us to have a significant economic benefit on local residents around here," he stated to media outlets, noting that he wanted to make Benin City "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit local organization, aims at generating over 30,000 employment opportunities and providing more than $80m per year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and programming.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has taken $25m to get here – capital gathered from different supporters, featuring the French and German governments, the London institution and the local administration.

But now the local government has revoked permission from beneath it – terminating the occupancy of the land on which the facility was constructed.

An official representative explained this was because in the initial documents it had identified as the Edo-named institution – and it had subsequently dropped "Edo" from its name.

Unrest and Official Response

This statement came after rallies on the weekend, when protesters stormed the complex calling for it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A boisterous crowd insulted foreign guests at the venue prior to the opening – forcing them to be escorted out under official guard.

National leader Bola Tinubu has also become involved to attempt to settle the tensions, establishing a special task force to address the controversy.

Political Complexities

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

A great deal of it comes down to local power struggles at a area administrative level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose governance finished recently – who was a key supporter of the initiative.

And it seems the leadership of the new governor, a close ally of the regional monarch, called the royal figure, may want more of a stake in the initiative. The protesters on Sunday, for case, were demanding that the museum be put under the control of Oba Ewuare II.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This highlights the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of the region's most famous historical legacy.

Because though the museum does eventually open, these objects will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, ivory and wooden sculptures that once adorned the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before UK forces stole them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.

Today, numerous stay scattered across museums in Western nations -- including the London museum, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested conversations in the global art world. About 150 have currently come back – and more are expected to return.

When proposals for the institution in Benin City were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene anticipated it would become their perfect venue – a state-of-the-art campus to display them to the international community.

But the waters were muddied recently after the national authorities stated that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of returned objects – and the monarch's court campaigned for a facility under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the wishes of the former governor.

Diplomatic Challenges

This left Mowaa in a difficult situation: asserting a clear stance on restitution while being careful on ownership – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c