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Nigeria's impressive new Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) has found itself in the middle of local power politics during the week it was scheduled to – but did not manage – to open its doors to the visitors for the very first time.

The Ambitious Project

The six-hectare campus sits in the center of Benin City, administrative center of the southern state of Edo – and includes an excavation site and facilities planned by high-profile dual heritage architect Sir David Adjaye, best known for the Washington African American Museum that opened in the US capital in 2016.

It has been half a decade in the development – and is planned to showcase both the past and the present of cultural innovation in the region renowned for the cultural artifacts, historical pieces looted from the city's royal palace by British soldiers in the 19th Century.

Readiness and Potential

It is remarkable – and ahead of the planned opening, Mowaa was buzzing with staff resolved to show it is a institution that can rival established art institutions in the Europe and America.

Inside art restorers carefully revealed cultural items from safety materials, checking each artifact and taking thorough records before positioning them on display surfaces and plinths.

Specialists calibrated climate control systems. In the research lab, officers adjusted equipment meant to conserve centuries-old objects.

Investment and Economic Plans

The project has been the idea of businessman Phillip Ihenacho – now Mowaa's chief executive.

"I aim us to have a major economic benefit on area populations in the vicinity," he explained to the press, noting that he aspired to make the city "a cultural destination."

Mowaa, a charitable Nigerian institution, envisions itself creating in excess of 30,000 work positions and adding over $80m annually to the area arts sector through alliances and programming.

Investment and Administrative Problems

It has required $25m to reach this point – capital gathered from various supporters, such as the international partners, the UK museum and the Edo state government.

But currently the state authorities has withdrawn support from under it – revoking the use of the site on which the building was erected.

An official representative clarified this was because in the original paperwork it had referred to itself as the Edo-named institution – and it had since dropped "the state identifier" from its title.

Unrest and Official Response

This statement was preceded by protests on the weekend, when protesters invaded the complex calling for it be designated the Benin Royal Museum.

A boisterous crowd harassed overseas dignitaries at the facility before the launch – compelling them to be quickly removed under police escort.

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

Political Complexities

But in what way has this turned into so divisive – and such a PR disaster?

Much of it stems from local power struggles at a area administrative level, as it was Edo's previous governor Godwin Obaseki – whose term in office ended the previous year – who was a key supporter of the initiative.

And it looks like the leadership of the new governor, a strong supporter of the regional monarch, called the traditional leader, may desire greater involvement in the initiative. The activists on Sunday, for example, were calling for that the museum be placed under the authority of the current Oba.

The Benin Bronzes Controversy

This brings into focus the contentious issue of the cultural artifacts, one of Africa's most celebrated artistic heritage.

Because although the museum does eventually open, these artifacts will be noticeably missing.

They are brass, elephant tusk and timber sculptures that once embellished the king's residence of the ancient kingdom before colonial troops took them in 1897 during a colonial invasion.

Nowadays, many remain spread across museums in Europe and North America -- featuring the British Museum, European center and the New York institution.

Repatriation Campaigns

Their homecoming has become one of the most disputed debates in the international art community. Approximately 150 have now come back – and additional are due to follow.

When proposals for the institution in Benin City were first announced in recent years, the influential figures on Nigeria's art scene expected it would become their natural home – a state-of-the-art facility to show them off to the world.

But the issues became confused two years ago after the national authorities stated that the traditional ruler would be the legal custodian of any returned bronzes – and the royal household pushed for a museum under the royal family's direct control, contrary to the preferences of the former governor.

Strategic Positioning

This placed Mowaa in a delicate position: asserting a specific viewpoint on restitution while staying tactful on custodianship – and emphasising its broader vision, which led to|c