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Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has landed in the middle of regional political struggles during the week it was scheduled to – but was unable – to begin operations to the visitors for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The 15-acre campus sits in the heart of the Edo state capital, main city of the southern area of Edo – and features an excavation site and structures planned by renowned dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that began operations in the US capital in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the creation – and is envisioned to honor both the heritage and the present of creativity in the area renowned for the cultural artifacts, artworks stolen from the royal palace by British soldiers in the 1800s.

Readiness and Potential

It is impressive – and ahead of the scheduled opening, Mowaa was energetic with employees determined to show it is a venue that can compete with well-known cultural centers in the Western world.

Inside conservators meticulously revealed cultural items from protective packaging, examining each piece and taking detailed documentation before positioning them on display surfaces and plinths.

Specialists fine-tuned environmental controls. In the scientific facility, staff members calibrated equipment intended to preserve centuries-old items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The initiative has been the brainchild of investor Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's managing director.

"I aim us to have a substantial economic benefit on local residents in this region," he told the press, noting that he aspired to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable national foundation, sees itself creating more than 30,000 employment opportunities and providing more than $80m each year to the local cultural industry through partnerships and activities.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has needed $25m to get here – funds collected from various donors, including the international partners, the UK museum and the local administration.

But now the regional administration has revoked permission from below it – revoking the occupancy of the land on which the museum was built.

An government communicator explained this was because in the initial documents it had called itself Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later eliminated "the regional name" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This statement came after protests on recently, when protesters invaded the campus insisting it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A boisterous crowd insulted foreign guests at the museum before the launch – forcing them to be quickly removed under police escort.

National leader Bola Tinubu has also become involved to try and resolve the conflict, creating a presidential committee to manage the situation.

Governance Issues

But how has this evolved into so divisive – and such a reputation problem?

Much of it stems from internecine rivalries at a regional government level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose administration concluded the previous year – who was a primary advocate of the museum.

And it looks like the leadership of the new governor, a strong supporter of the local traditional ruler, referred to as the traditional leader, may want more of a stake in the initiative. The protesters on the weekend, for example, were demanding that the facility be positioned under the supervision of the current Oba.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the disputed topic of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most celebrated cultural treasures.

Because even if the museum does finally begin operations, these bronzes will be clearly not present.

They are metal, elephant tusk and wooden carvings that once decorated the monarch's home of the historical empire before British soldiers took them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Today, many remain scattered across museums in Europe and North America -- including the London museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the New York institution.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most contested debates in the international art community. About 150 have currently come back – and additional are due to follow.

When proposals for the facility in the urban center were first announced in recent years, the movers and shakers on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their ideal location – a state-of-the-art facility to exhibit them to the world.

But the waters were muddied two years ago after the national authorities stated that the traditional ruler would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the monarch's court pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, against the desires of the former governor.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: maintaining a definite position on restitution while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and stressing its broader vision, which led to|c