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Nigeria's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has landed in the center of local power politics during the week it was supposed to – but failed – to begin operations to the public for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare facility sits in the heart of Benin City, main city of the southern region of Edo – and features an historical dig and structures designed by high-profile British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the National Museum of African American History and Culture that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been five years in the development – and is envisioned to showcase both the past and the present of cultural innovation in the area renowned for the historic artworks, historical pieces stolen from the city's royal palace by UK forces in the nineteenth century.

Setup and Prospects

It is remarkable – and before the anticipated opening, Mowaa was buzzing with workers resolved to prove it is a institution that can rival well-known museums and galleries in the West.

Within art restorers carefully revealed artworks from safety materials, checking each artifact and taking detailed documentation before positioning them on exhibition areas and bases.

Specialists calibrated environmental controls. In the research lab, staff members set up equipment designed to preserve ancient objects.

Funding and Economic Goals

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

"I hope us to have a significant financial effect on area populations around here," he stated to the press, noting that he wanted to make this urban center "a tourism center."

Mowaa, a charitable local organization, sees itself generating in excess of 30,000 employment opportunities and adding above $80m each year to the local cultural industry through partnerships and activities.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has needed $25m to achieve this stage – funds collected from various supporters, including the French and German governments, the UK museum and the regional authorities.

But at present the local government has withdrawn support from beneath it – canceling the occupancy of the land on which the facility was constructed.

An official representative clarified this was because in the initial documents it had called itself EMOWAA – and it had later eliminated "Edo" from its designation.

Unrest and Official Response

This declaration followed rallies on Sunday, when activists entered the complex demanding it be called the Museum of the Benin Kingdom.

A disruptive assembly harassed overseas dignitaries at the museum ahead of the launch – compelling them to be quickly removed under police escort.

Head of state Bola Tinubu has also stepped in to try and resolve the conflict, setting up a special task force to manage the situation.

Administrative Challenges

But how has this become so controversial – and such a PR disaster?

Much of it stems from local power struggles at a regional government level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office concluded the previous year – who was a major backer of the initiative.

And it looks like the government of the new governor, a strong supporter of the area king, known as the traditional leader, may want increased control in the project. The protesters on Sunday, for case, were demanding that the facility be positioned under the supervision of Oba Ewuare II.

The Historical Objects Discussion

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the historical artworks, one of the continent's most celebrated historical legacy.

Because although the museum does ultimately begin operations, these bronzes will be clearly not present.

They are brass, ivory and wooden artworks that once adorned the monarch's home of the ancient kingdom before UK forces took them in the colonial era during a military operation.

Nowadays, numerous stay scattered across institutions in Western nations -- including the UK institution, European center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Return Initiatives

Their return has become one of the most debated conversations in the worldwide cultural sector. About 150 have currently made their way home – and further are due to follow.

When ideas for the facility in Benin City were originally proposed in recent years, the movers and shakers on the country's cultural sector hoped it would become their ideal location – a modern facility to display them to the global audience.

But the issues became confused some time back after the central administration announced that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of returned objects – and the monarch's court pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the desires of Obaseki.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a difficult situation: maintaining a specific viewpoint on restitution while being careful on ownership – and emphasising its wider mission, which led to|c