Protests disrupt opening of Nigeria’s Museum of West African art amid ownership dispute

By: ThinkBusiness Africa

The planned grand opening of Nigeria’s highly anticipated Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) has been indefinitely postponed following a disruptive protest at the museum’s preview event on Sunday. MOWAA said in a statement.

The incident, which saw approximately 20 men storm the grounds, forcing guests and officials to take shelter, highlighting  the deep-seated local political and cultural tensions surrounding the ownership and control of the nation’s priceless heritage, particularly the coveted Benin Bronzes.

Clips online showed around 20 men, some armed with wooden bats, entered the $25 million museum campus, insulted foreign guests and ordered them to leave. According to MOWAA guests were escorted safely out of the campus.

The disruption occurred during a private viewing event for donors and industry professionals at the new multi-million dollar museum in Benin City, Edo State.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may have caused, including interruptions to travel plans or scheduled visits.” MOWAA said.

The official opening, which was scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, has been postponed indefinitely following the security breach.

“We advise against visiting the MOWAA campus until the situation has been resolved. There will be no preview events on Sunday 9 November, Monday 10 November and Tuesday 11 November.” MoWAA said.

The $25 million Museum of West African Art was partly conceived as a state-of-the-art facility to house and preserve repatriated artifacts, notably the Benin Bronzes—thousands of plaques and sculptures stolen and looted by British forces during the 1897 punitive expedition on the old Kingdom of Benin.

The protest appears to be directly linked to an ongoing, bitter dispute over who holds the rightful custodianship of these repatriated treasures.

MOWAA was launched by Nigerian businessman Phillip Ihenacho with the support of the former Edo State Governor. Its initial purpose was to serve as a home for the returning Bronzes.

The Benin traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, has been officially recognized by the Nigerian Federal Government through a decree as the owner and custodian of the looted artifacts.

Despite the museum’s design to be a principal home for the repatriated Bronzes, the artifacts themselves are currently not on display at MOWAA. The ongoing dispute has meant that the approximately 150 original Bronzes returned to Nigeria by various international institutions remain in storage, pending resolution of the ownership conflict.