Nigeria’s Mowaa museum: Edo protesters storm brand new home for West African art

Protesters have targeted a new multi-million dollar museum in Nigeria and forced organisers to postpone Tuesday’s planned opening.

Videos showed a group insulting foreign guests and ordering them to leave after entering the grounds of the Museum of West African Art (Mowaa) in Benin City on Sunday.

They were angry that the museum was not called the Benin Royal Museum and was not under the control of the Oba, the area’s traditional king.

With preservation and restoration facilities, Mowaa was in part conceived as a home for the Benin Bronzes – artefacts looted from there by British soldiers in the 19th Century. But a dispute over ownership has meant they are not at the museum.

Following the storming of the museum, a spokesperson for the institution told the BBC they had never made any claims to the Benin Bronzes and are “focused primarily on modern and contemporary art with a historical collections” display from Nigeria and elsewhere in West Africa.

All guests were safely escorted to secure locations, according to a statement from the museum.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may have caused,” Mowaa said.

No new date for the museum’s opening has been announced.

A resident of Edo state told the BBC the frustration stems from what many see as a hijacking of a local project.

“The Benin Oba, traditional rulers and the government of Edo are not happy about it,” the resident added.

“Edo” was initially in the museum’s name, but this was later dropped. Executive director Phillip Ihenacho told the BBC the backers wanted the institution to serve a wider purpose beyond Nigeria.

In its statement, Mowaa said the protest “appeared to stem from disputes between the previous and current state administrations”.

The museum emphasised it was an independent, non-profit organisation and, though a former state governor had backed the project, he had no interest in it “financial or otherwise”.

Mowaa has now cancelled all preview events and advised visitors to avoid the campus until the situation is resolved.

“We are deeply grateful to all our guests – many of whom travelled long distances to be here – for their understanding, patience and resilience,” the statement said. “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may have caused.”