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Nigeria's stunning new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has ended up in the middle of regional political struggles during the week it was scheduled to – but did not manage – to begin operations to the visitors for the very first time.

The Major Initiative

The six-hectare facility is located in the center of Benin City, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and includes an excavation site and structures planned by celebrated dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Smithsonian African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been 60 months in the making – and is designed to showcase both the past and the current era of creativity in the area known for the Benin Bronzes, historical pieces stolen from the city's royal palace by British troops in the 19th Century.

Readiness and Potential

It is impressive – and prior to the planned opening, Mowaa was energetic with workers determined to demonstrate it is a place that can compete with renowned cultural centers in the West.

Internally preservation experts meticulously unwrapped art pieces from protective packaging, checking each item and taking meticulous notes before placing them on exhibition areas and plinths.

Specialists calibrated environmental controls. In the materials science laboratory, staff members set up equipment intended to preserve centuries-old items.

Investment and Economic Plans

The initiative has been the brainchild of entrepreneur Phillip Ihenacho – currently Mowaa's chief executive.

"I want us to have a major economic impact on communities in the vicinity," he stated to media outlets, noting that he wanted to make this urban center "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, envisions itself establishing in excess of 30,000 work positions and providing more than $80m annually to the regional creative economy through collaborations and programming.

Financial Support and Government Issues

It has needed $25m to achieve this stage – capital collected from multiple donors, featuring the international partners, the London institution and the regional authorities.

But now the regional administration has pulled the rug from below it – terminating the occupancy of the land on which the museum was built.

An government communicator clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had later removed "Edo" from its title.

Protests and Political Intervention

This statement was preceded by rallies on the weekend, when people stormed the complex insisting it be designated the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A rowdy assembly insulted foreign guests at the facility ahead of the launch – forcing them to be quickly removed under official guard.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has also become involved to work to address the tensions, setting up a special task force to manage the situation.

Governance Issues

But in what way has this evolved into so politicised – and such a reputation problem?

A great deal of it stems from internecine rivalries at a area administrative level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose administration finished last year – who was a key supporter of the museum.

And it seems the government of the recently elected official, a close ally of the local traditional ruler, referred to as the Oba, may want more of a stake in the venture. The protesters on Sunday, for instance, were insisting that the museum be put under the control of the current Oba.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the contentious issue of the cultural artifacts, one of the region's most renowned artistic heritage.

Because though the facility does finally welcome visitors, these artifacts will be conspicuously absent.

They are brass, elephant tusk and wooden artworks that once adorned the king's residence of the Benin Kingdom before British soldiers took them in the colonial era during a punitive expedition.

Nowadays, thousands continue to be spread across museums in the West -- including the British Museum, Berlin's Humboldt Forum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their repatriation has become one of the most debated conversations in the global art world. Roughly 150 have currently come back – and further are due to follow.

When plans for the institution in the urban center were initially revealed in the pre-pandemic era, the key players on the national arts community anticipated it would become their natural home – a advanced campus to display them to the global audience.

But the situation became complicated recently after the national authorities stated that the royal leader would be the proper guardian of any returned bronzes – and the palace campaigned for a institution under the king's authority, against the wishes of Obaseki.

Political Navigation

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