Museum Importance African art has historically been researched within the anthropological field, rather than the art historical field. Because of this anthropological influence, along with the primitivization of African people, African art tends to be displayed within an ethnological context, rather than an art context. This museum will mainly focus on the display of contemporary West African art, allowing for the art it contains to occupy the space of contemporary art that it deserves.
Benin Bronzes Thousands of
Benin Bronzes, artwork and artifacts, some dating back to the 15th century, were looted from the
Benin Kingdom by British soldiers in the 19th Century. Many of these items subsequently made their way onto displays and collections at prominent museums and institutions worldwide, particularly in Europe and America. The Museum of West African Art was originally intended to display these Benin Bronzes, but none of them are shown and none of them are in the museums depot. The Bronzes were given to Oba
Ewuare II by president
Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 before the museum was built. Only clay replicas of some Benin Bronzes are shown as part of an installation by artist
Yinka Shonibare in the museum's inaugural exhibition.
Delayed Opening and Repatriation Controversy As of Late November 2025, there remains dispute among several parties (including federal and state governments as well as the local community) over control and rightful ownership of the repatriated artifacts. The governor of Edo, Nigeria, Monday Okpebholo, revoked the "Certificate of Occupancy for the land on which Mowaa is located, citing 'overriding public interest' and doubts about the museum’s ownership and governance." Followers of Oba
Ewuare II attacked the private preview ceremony with observers concluding, that after the Benin Bronzes were already locked away in his private palace, the Oba would now seek control over the new museum itself to use it for some form of traditionalistic self-presentation. The Oba had claimed he conceived the museum to be the Benin Royal Museum under his custodianship and not the "Museum of West African Art". According to him, the renaming happened without his consent. "Phillip Ihenacho, MOWAA’s director and executive chair, tells
The Art Newspaper: 'We have been caught up in a complex local situation. There are misperceptions about what we are and what we are not. Yes, we started during the discussions of restitution of Benin Bronzes, but fairly quickly afterwards, from 2021 onwards, we have tried to make it clear that we are not a receptacle for the Benin Bronzes. We do not have an entitlement to Benin Bronzes, and we are not trying to compete with other museums established in Benin. Our strong belief is that Benin City needs multiple points of interest from multiple museums.'" Journalist Geraldine Kendall Adams commented in November 2025, that there was concern among Nigeria’s cultural commentators that the political row over the future of the museum could damage the country’s reputation and set back efforts to repatriate the Benin bronzes and other cultural artefacts. == References ==