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Nigeria's $25m West African art museum stalled by political dispute over name and land
The Museum of West African Art (Mowaa), a $25 million cultural landmark in Benin City designed by Sir David Adjaye, failed to open as planned this week after Edo state officials revoked its land rights-citing a name change from "Edo Museum of West African Art" to its current title. The dispute escalated following protests on Sunday, where demonstrators demanded the facility be renamed the Benin Royal Museum and placed under the control of Oba Ewuare II, the region's traditional ruler.
Architectural marvel caught in local power struggle
The six-hectare (15-acre) campus, five years in development, was poised to become a hub for contemporary African creativity alongside historical exhibits. Funded by international donors-including the French and German governments, the British Museum, and Edo state-it aimed to generate over 30,000 jobs and inject $80 million annually into the regional economy. But the project's fate now hinges on a clash between the outgoing administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, a key backer, and the current government aligned with the Oba.
Protesters last weekend stormed the site, verbally harassing foreign guests and forcing their evacuation under police escort. President Bola Tinubu has since intervened, forming a high-level committee to mediate the crisis. At its core, the conflict reflects competing visions for custodianship-not just of the museum, but of the Benin Bronzes, the looted 19th-century artefacts whose restitution remains a global flashpoint.
The absent centerpiece: Benin Bronzes and restitution politics
Though Mowaa was initially seen as the natural home for repatriated Benin Bronzes-thousands of which remain in Western institutions like the British Museum and Berlin's Humboldt Forum-its leadership has distanced itself from the debate. Executive Director Phillip Ihenacho stressed the museum's focus on modern and contemporary art, not historical ownership. "We are not the owners, nor do we have any legal title to the bronzes," he told the BBC, emphasizing broader goals: film, photography, fashion, and regional creative collaboration.
The federal government's 2022 declaration that the Oba would oversee returned bronzes further complicated matters, pitting royal authority against Obaseki's secular vision. Cultural specialist Oluwatoyin Sogbesan criticized the elitism of restitution discourse, noting most locals prioritize livelihoods over artefacts. "Many don't even know about the bronzes," she said, advocating for a shift in terminology: "Call them by their original Edo name-Emwin Arre ['Cultural Things']."
Art as dialogue: The inaugural Homecoming exhibition
If opened, Mowaa's first show will feature diaspora artists like Yinka Shonibare, whose Monument to the Restitution of the Mind and Soul-a pyramid of 150 clay Bronze replicas-grapples with colonial trauma. "It's about the meaning of absence," Shonibare explained, using clay to symbolize connection to Benin's land. Ndidi Dike's National Grid (2016) critiques Nigeria's power failures, a metaphor for governance that resonates amid the museum's current paralysis.
"Cultural institutions are pillars of our national identity and must be protected through collaborative approaches that respect both traditional custodianship and modern institutional structures."
Hannatu Musawa, Nigeria's Culture Minister and chair of the presidential mediation committee
Economic hopes vs. political realities
For young creatives like 23-year-old sculptor Eweka Success, Mowaa represents opportunity regardless of the Bronzes' fate. "Many of us have never seen the originals," he said, "but we can study their techniques here." The museum has already drawn regional talent, from conservators relocating from the U.S. to Ghanaian researchers. Yet the standoff risks undermining broader restitution efforts, with Western institutions potentially citing governance concerns to delay returns.
As technicians idle and climate-controlled galleries sit empty, Mowaa's staff insist their mission transcends the dispute. "We're creating an ecosystem to support West African creatives," Ihenacho said. Whether that vision survives the political storm remains uncertain.
