The multi-million dollar Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA), an iconic cultural project in southern Nigeria’s Edo state, has suspended preview events scheduled for this week.
MOWAA took the decision after about 20 people, some of them armed with wooden bats, barged into the museum courtyard during a pre-opening event on Sunday. Guests, including ambassadors and donors, were forced to seek shelter inside.
“If you were planning a trip to Benin [City] For MOWAA Preview Week, please suspend your travel plans,” a MOWAA statement posted on Instagram said.
The incident comes just days after dozens of protesters protested outside the Edo State Legislature against the opening of the museum.
MOWAA has created intense political tensions since its establishment five years ago.
What is Mova?
The new museum is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the artistic and cultural heritage of West Africa.
It houses exhibition spaces and archives and is intended to host residencies for West African artists and craftsmen.
Costing approximately $25 million (€21.6 million), it has received significant support from international governments and private institutions.
Germany, France and Denmark are among those funding the museum, as well as the British Museum, the Getty Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
The former governor of Edo State also gave about 3.8 million naira ($2.6 million) for the ambitious art project.
Why is MOWAA controversial?
MOWAA caught in cross-fire over ownership of Benin Bronze.
These are thousands of artefacts looted by British troops in the 19th century from the then Kingdom of Benin, now located in Edo State, Nigeria.
Metal artefacts and ivory carvings, which have important cultural significance, were dispersed into collections throughout Europe and the United States.
Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced in 2023 that the ancient kingdom of Benin’s traditional ruler, Oba Ewuare II, was the owner of the bronze. (The non-sovereign state has no relation to the African country of Benin.)
This meant that any bronze sent back to Nigeria must be returned to the Oba.
When MOWAA launched in 2020, part of its original premises was to house the Benin Bronzes, an ambition the museum has since abandoned.
A number of Benin bronzes have been returned to Nigeria over the years, including 119 from the Netherlands in June 2025, which were handed directly to the Oba.
Oba Iwuare II has stated several times that he plans to display the returned bronzes in his own museum, none of which are yet on public display.
Critics of MOWAA say that the museum is an attempt to provoke the Oba and is a ploy to take the Benin bronzes away from him.
MOWAA supporters say the museum is a cultural asset
MOWAA supporters say the museum, designed by renowned British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, will make Edo State a global cultural and arts hub.
Nigeria’s Culture Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa condemned the incident in a statement late Sunday.
“The reported disruption at MOWAA jeopardizes not only a precious cultural asset, but also the peaceful environment essential for cultural exchange and the preservation of our artistic heritage,” he said in a statement on Instagram.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar