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The nation's stunning new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the crosshairs of local power politics during the week it was scheduled to – but failed – to begin operations to the public for the initial occasion.

The Grand Vision

The six-hectare facility is located in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern state of Edo – and features an excavation site and structures planned by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been five years in the development – and is designed to honor both the past and the modern times of cultural innovation in the region famous for the cultural artifacts, historical pieces stolen from the king's palace by British troops in the 1800s.

Setup and Prospects

It is impressive – and before the anticipated opening, Mowaa was energetic with employees determined to demonstrate it is a institution that can match renowned museums and galleries in the Europe and America.

Within conservators precisely unwrapped artworks from protective packaging, checking each item and taking detailed records before arranging them on exhibition areas and plinths.

Experts adjusted climate control systems. In the scientific facility, officers set up equipment intended to conserve ancient artefacts.

Financial Backing and Economic Vision

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

"I hope us to have a substantial economic benefit on communities around here," he told the press, adding that he wanted to make Benin City "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a not-for-profit national foundation, aims at creating more than 30,000 employment opportunities and contributing more than $80m annually to the local cultural industry through partnerships and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has needed $25m to achieve this stage – funds raised from multiple donors, such as the French and German governments, the London institution and the Edo state government.

But at present the local government has pulled the rug from beneath it – canceling the occupancy of the property on which the building was erected.

An Edo state spokesperson explained this was because in the early agreements it had called itself the Edo-named institution – and it had since eliminated "Edo" from its name.

Unrest and Official Response

This announcement followed protests on recently, when protesters stormed the complex insisting it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A rowdy group confronted overseas dignitaries at the venue ahead of the inauguration – forcing them to be escorted out under security protection.

President Bola Tinubu has additionally stepped in to try and resolve the tensions, establishing a special task force to manage the situation.

Political Complexities

But why has this become so politicised – and such a reputation problem?

Much of it comes down to local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was the former state leader Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended last year – who was a key supporter of the initiative.

And it seems the government of the current leader, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, known as the traditional leader, may want greater involvement in the initiative. The demonstrators on Sunday, for case, were demanding that the institution be placed under the supervision of the current Oba.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the disputed topic of the Benin Bronzes, one of Africa's most renowned cultural treasures.

Because though the museum does finally begin operations, these bronzes will be conspicuously absent.

They are metal, elephant tusk and timber sculptures that once decorated the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before UK forces took them in the late nineteenth century during a punitive expedition.

Nowadays, numerous continue to be scattered across museums in Europe and North America -- including the UK institution, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their homecoming has become one of the most debated conversations in the global art world. About 150 have currently been returned – and more are scheduled to be repatriated.

When plans for the facility in Benin City were first announced in the pre-pandemic era, the key players on the country's cultural sector expected it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art complex to exhibit them to the world.

But the waters were muddied two years ago after the federal government announced that the royal leader would be the legal custodian of returned objects – and the royal household campaigned for a institution under the monarch's supervision, contrary to the preferences of the former governor.

Diplomatic Challenges

This placed Mowaa in a challenging circumstance: expressing a specific viewpoint on restitution while remaining diplomatic on custodianship – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c