{"id":40961,"date":"2025-11-10T17:15:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/edo-protesters-storm-brand-new-home-for-west-african-art\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T17:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:15:43","slug":"edo-protesters-storm-brand-new-home-for-west-african-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/edo-protesters-storm-brand-new-home-for-west-african-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Edo protesters storm brand new home for West African art"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Todah Opeyemi<\/span>BBC Africa, Lagos<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The protesters insulted the visitors who had gone for a preview event<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Protesters have targeted a new multi-million dollar museum in Nigeria and forced organisers to postpone Tuesday’s planned opening.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

All guests were safely escorted to secure locations, according to a statement from the museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may have caused,” Mowaa said.<\/p>\n

No new date for the museum’s opening has been announced.<\/p>\n

A resident of Edo state told the BBC the frustration stems from what many see as a hijacking of a local project. <\/p>\n

“The Benin Oba, traditional rulers and the government of Edo are not happy about it,” the resident added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"MuseumMuseum of West African Art (MOWAA), Marco Cappelletti\/Marco Cappelletti Studio<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mowaa, designed by British-Ghanian architect David Adjaye, cost an estimated $25m (\u00a319m) to build<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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“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.<\/p>\n

In its statement, Mowaa said the protest “appeared to stem from disputes between the previous and current state administrations”.<\/p>\n

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”.<\/p>\n

Mowaa has now cancelled all preview events and advised visitors to avoid the campus until the situation is resolved.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"GettyGetty Images\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n