Museum of West African Art

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Museum of West African Art (MOWAA)
Museum of West African Art
Established2020
LocationBenin City, Nigeria
Architect David Adjaye
Website https://wearemowaa.org
Warrior Chief, one of the Benin Bronzes to be repatriated and shown in the museum Plaque- Warrior Chief MET DT6557.jpg
Warrior Chief, one of the Benin Bronzes to be repatriated and shown in the museum

The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) is a museum that has been built in Benin City, Nigeria and was planned to open on 11 November 2025. It will show over 300 items on loan from European museums. Its architect, David Adjaye, revealed renderings for the museum in November 2020. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

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 on to displays and collections at prominent museums and institutions worldwide, particularly in Europe and America. [3]

Bronze head on display at Boston Museum of Fine Art Benin bronze commemorative head of a defeated leader, No 1, Benin bronze, Lehman collection at MFA.agr.jpg
Bronze head on display at Boston Museum of Fine Art

As some of these institution started responding to pressure to return the stolen work, conversation turned to ensuring they could be properly stored and preserved. The MoWAA was partly conceived to house these repatrated works [4] .

The Metropolitan Museum of Art agreed to repatriate two Benin Bronzes to be shown in the museum. [5] [6] Several other institutions and governments also agreed to return items, including the Smithsonian, the Netherlands, Germany, and universities in Cambridge and Aberdeen. [7]

Continuing disputes, and protests around opening

As of 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 repatrated artefacts. [7] Consequently, they will not be on display when the museum opens on Nov 11, 2025 [8] .

On Nov 9, 2025, protests were reported at the museum during preview events ahead of the formal opening. This led the previews to be curtailed and the museum issuing a statement about the protests [9] .

References

  1. ↑ Marshall, Alex (November 13, 2020). "A New Museum to Bring the Benin Bronzes Home". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331.
  2. ↑ Ravenscroft, Tom (November 17, 2020). "Adjaye Associates reveals vision for Edo Museum of West African Art in Nigeria". Dezeen. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/nigeria-stolen-benin-bronzes-london-museum
  4. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3642764y7xo
  5. ↑ "Venice Biennale Announces 2022 Theme, and Other News". SURFACE. June 11, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  6. ↑ Bahr, Sarah (June 23, 2021). "Met Museum Announces Return of Two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Enahoro, Noah Anthony (April 2, 2024). "Nigeria Debates the Fate of Returning Benin Bronzes". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  8. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/arts/design/museum-of-west-african-art-nigeria.html
  9. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3642764y7xo

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