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The Museum for West African Arts (MOWAA) is now a property of the Edo State Government, the state’s Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commissioner, Chris Okaeben, has revealed.
Okaeben also announced that MOWAA would be renamed Edo Museum for West African Arts (EMOWAA).
He added during a news conference in Benin yesterday that the state has started discussions with investors for the takeover of cultural sites in the state.
The investors, according to him, will beautify the sites in order to make them attractive to tourists.
Okaeben explained that reports of the committee on MOWAA, headed by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, recommended that MOWAA be handed over to the Oba of Benin.
The commissioner described the museum’s name as a strong policy decision by Governor Monday Okpebholo.
He said his interaction with the German Consulate in Nigeria showed that the German government gave a grant to support the project. He added that the state government provided the land and invested N3.8 billion without any equity.
Okaeben stated that the coming of Governor Okpebholo restored the state’s traditional and cultural values due to cultism and kidnapping.
“We are partnering with investors on heritage sites. Benin Moat is one of the state’s most important heritage sites for tourists to visit”, Okaeben added.
The pre-opening exhibition of MOWAA last November was trailed by protests that led to its suspension.
Oba Ewuare II had, prior to the botched opening, said that he planned to showcase the returned bronzes, none of which are yet on public display, in a museum of his own.
Critics of MOWAA say the museum is a provocation to the Oba and a ploy to take the Benin bronzes away from him.
The museum, since its inception five years ago, has sparked intense political tension over its ownership.
According to reports, part of the original premise of MOWAA when it was launched in 2020 was to house the Benin bronzes, an ambition that was abandoned by the administration of Godwin Obaseki
The museum construction cost about $25 million, and it attracted significant support from international governments and private institutions.
Germany, France and Denmark, the British Museum, the Getty Foundation and the Ford Foundation were among those that supported the project. (The Nation)
