What You Need to Know
Nigeria’s Museum of West African Art, a $25 million project, faces political turmoil just before its opening. Local tensions over the museum’s name and control reflect broader issues surrounding cultural heritage and the Benin Bronzes. Despite challenges, the museum aims to foster creativity and collaboration in West Africa.
Africa. Nigeria’s new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa), a landmark $25m cultural project, has become entangled in local political tensions during the very week it was expected to welcome visitors for the first time.
The sprawling six-hectare campus in Benin City includes an archaeological site and buildings designed by British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, known internationally for his work on major cultural institutions. The museum was conceived to celebrate both historical heritage and contemporary creativity in a region famed for the Benin Bronzes.
Inside, staff were preparing meticulously for the planned opening: conservators unwrapped artworks, technicians calibrated climate systems, and laboratory teams tested equipment designed to preserve centuries-old objects. Optimism was high that Mowaa could stand alongside major museums around the world.
The project was initiated by businessman and now executive director Phillip Ihenacho, who envisioned meaningful economic growth for local communities and hoped to position Benin City as a cultural destination. Mowaa, a non-profit institution, projected more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and an annual contribution exceeding $80m to the regional creative economy.
Funding totaled $25m from various donors, including multiple international partners and the Edo state government. But just as the opening approached, the state government revoked the land rights of the museum, citing a dispute over its original name — formerly “Edo Museum of West African Art” — after “Edo” was removed.
The announcement followed protests calling for the institution to be renamed the Benin Royal Museum. Demonstrators disrupted pre-opening activities and confronted invited guests, prompting security intervention.
The country’s leadership has since formed a high-level committee to ease tensions. The disagreement reflects political rivalries within the state: the former governor strongly supported the project, while the current administration, aligned with the traditional royal palace, appears interested in asserting more control. Protesters demanded that the museum be placed under the authority of the Oba of Benin.
This clash brings renewed focus to the ongoing debate over the Benin Bronzes — prized cultural works looted in 1897 and now housed across museums in Europe and North America. Although more than 150 pieces have been repatriated in recent years, the federal government announced that all returned bronzes should remain under the custodianship of the royal palace, complicating Mowaa’s position.
As a result, even if the museum opens, the bronzes themselves will be absent. Mowaa has attempted to clarify that it does not claim ownership of the bronzes and aims to build a space for both historical reflection and contemporary African creativity.
The inaugural exhibition, “Homecoming,” highlights artists from across the diaspora. Among the works is a striking installation by Yinka Shonibare featuring more than 150 clay replicas of the bronzes, symbolizing both memory and the trauma of cultural loss.
Other pieces, such as Ndidi Dike’s “National Grid,” explore the nation’s struggles with power infrastructure and broader governance challenges.
While political disputes may overshadow the project, many working at Mowaa remain determined. Young artists, researchers, and conservators across West Africa already see the museum as a critical space for collaboration, innovation, and reimagining the role of African cultural institutions.
Concerns persist that the conflict could undermine global efforts to return Africa’s stolen heritage, yet supporters inside the museum continue to push forward, committed to showing the world what a modern African museum can become — with or without historic artefacts.
The Benin Bronzes, a collection of plaques and sculptures, were looted during the British expedition in 1897 and have since become symbols of cultural loss and colonial legacy. The ongoing debate over their repatriation highlights the complexities of cultural heritage management in Nigeria and the need for reconciliation between traditional authorities and modern institutions.
The establishment of the Museum of West African Art represents a significant effort to reclaim and celebrate African cultural identity. However, the political dynamics surrounding its governance and the ownership of cultural artifacts complicate its mission, as local leaders and communities seek to assert their claims.
