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Nigeria's stunning new West African Art Museum (Mowaa) has found itself in the center of area political conflicts during the period it was supposed to – but was unable – to welcome visitors to the public for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare facility stands in the center of Benin City, administrative center of the southern area of Edo – and contains an excavation site and structures designed by renowned dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, most famous for the Washington African American Museum that opened in Washington DC in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the making – and is designed to showcase both the history and the present of artistic expression in the region famous for the cultural artifacts, historical pieces taken from the royal palace by UK forces in the 1800s.

Preparation and Promise

It is impressive – and before the scheduled opening, Mowaa was active with staff determined to show it is a institution that can rival renowned art institutions in the Europe and America.

Internally art restorers meticulously revealed art pieces from protective packaging, inspecting each item and taking thorough records before arranging them on walls and bases.

Specialists fine-tuned climate control systems. In the materials science laboratory, officers set up equipment meant to maintain ancient artefacts.

Investment and Economic Plans

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

"I want us to have a substantial financial effect on local residents in this region," he stated to the press, mentioning that he hoped to make Benin City "an arts hub."

Mowaa, a charitable national foundation, envisions itself generating more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and providing over $80m per year to the local cultural industry through collaborations and events.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has required $25m to get here – funds collected from different supporters, such as the European governments, the London institution and the regional authorities.

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

An Edo state spokesperson explained this was because in the initial documents it had referred to itself as Edo Museum of West African Art – and it had subsequently dropped "the regional name" from its designation.

Demonstrations and Government Action

This declaration came after demonstrations on Sunday, when activists stormed the complex demanding it be designated the Royal Benin Museum.

A boisterous group insulted foreign guests at the museum prior to the launch – forcing them to be quickly removed under official guard.

President Bola Tinubu has even become involved to try and resolve the dispute, establishing a high-level committee to do some damage control.

Administrative Challenges

But how has this evolved into so divisive – and such a PR disaster?

A great deal of it results from internecine rivalries at a area administrative level, as it was the ex-administrator Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended last year – who was a primary advocate of the project.

And it looks like the government of the current leader, a close ally of the regional monarch, known as the royal figure, may seek more of a stake in the venture. The demonstrators on Sunday, for instance, were demanding that the facility be put under the control of the royal leader.

The Cultural Artifacts Debate

This highlights the controversial matter of the Benin Bronzes, one of the continent's most renowned cultural treasures.

Because although the facility does finally welcome visitors, these artifacts will be clearly not present.

They are brass, ivory and wooden sculptures that once decorated the monarch's home of the Benin Kingdom before colonial troops stole them in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

Today, many stay spread across galleries in Western nations -- including the UK institution, German museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Restitution Efforts

Their repatriation has become one of the most contested debates in the global art world. Approximately 150 have currently come back – and further are scheduled to be repatriated.

When proposals for the facility in the urban center were first announced in recent years, the key players on the national arts community expected it would become their perfect venue – a state-of-the-art facility to display them to the world.

But the situation became complicated two years ago after the national authorities declared that the royal leader would be the rightful owner of repatriated artifacts – and the monarch's court advocated for a museum under the monarch's supervision, against the wishes of Obaseki.

Political Navigation

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a definite position on repatriation while being careful on custodianship – and highlighting its broader vision, which led to|c