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Nigeria's remarkable new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the center of area political conflicts during the time it was expected to – but did not manage – to open its doors to the visitors for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The 15-acre complex stands in the core of Benin's urban center, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and includes an excavation site and facilities planned by celebrated British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been five years in the making – and is planned to honor both the history and the current era of creativity in the locale known for the historic artworks, historical pieces looted from the royal palace by British troops in the 19th Century.

Readiness and Potential

It is notable – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was energetic with employees resolved to demonstrate it is a venue that can rival established museums and galleries in the Western world.

Within art restorers precisely revealed art pieces from safety materials, checking each item and taking detailed documentation before placing them on exhibition areas and plinths.

Technicians fine-tuned temperature regulation systems. In the research lab, officers set up equipment meant to preserve centuries-old artefacts.

Funding and Economic Goals

The venture has been the idea of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's chief executive.

"I aim us to have a substantial economic impact on communities around here," he stated to journalists, mentioning that he wanted to make the city "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, envisions itself creating over 30,000 work positions and providing above $80m annually to the local cultural industry through collaborations and activities.

Funding Sources and Political Challenges

It has needed $25m to get here – capital collected from different donors, including the French and German governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

But now the state authorities has pulled the rug from below it – canceling the use of the land on which the facility was constructed.

An official representative clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as EMOWAA – and it had subsequently dropped "the regional name" from its name.

Protests and Political Intervention

This declaration came after protests on Sunday, when people entered the campus demanding it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A rowdy crowd confronted overseas dignitaries at the venue before the opening – forcing them to be escorted out under official guard.

National leader Bola Tinubu has even become involved to work to address the dispute, setting up a presidential committee to address the controversy.

Administrative Challenges

But in what way has this turned into so controversial – and such a PR disaster?

A great deal of it stems from local power struggles at a local state level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose administration finished recently – who was a major backer of the initiative.

And it looks like the administration of the recently elected official, a close ally of the area king, called the traditional leader, may desire more of a stake in the venture. The demonstrators on the weekend, for example, were calling for that the museum be positioned under the supervision of the current Oba.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This emphasizes the controversial matter of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most renowned artistic heritage.

Because although the institution does eventually welcome visitors, these artifacts will be clearly not present.

They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden sculptures that once decorated the royal palace of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces took them in 1897 during a military operation.

Currently, many stay distributed across galleries in the West -- such as the British Museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the New York institution.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their return has become one of the most disputed discussions in the global art world. Roughly 150 have now made their way home – and additional are expected to return.

When plans for the museum in the city were first announced in recent years, the key players on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art campus to exhibit them to the world.

But the waters were muddied two years ago after the national authorities declared that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of returned objects – and the royal household advocated for a institution under the monarch's supervision, opposing the preferences of the former governor.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a clear stance on return while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and emphasising its larger purpose, which led to|c