Walk through the wide glass doors of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), and you are struck by a calm, modern order. Light spills across polished floors, highlighting ivory carvings, woven textiles, and interactive displays tracing centuries of Benin artistry. Conservation labs hum quietly in the background, prepared for treasures that are yet to arrive.

MOWAA was created as a central hub to preserve and showcase Edo’s rich cultural legacy. It was envisioned as a homecoming for the Benin Bronzes, artifacts looted during the 1897 British expedition and scattered across Europe and America, carrying centuries of artistry, spiritual meaning, and historical memory.

The MOWAA’s mission unites four core pillars: return and public display of the bronzes, educational programs for local and international audiences, research into historical and contemporary Edo art, and tourism development to position Benin City as a cultural destination, allowing Edo to tell its own story while engaging the world.

Though the building now stands complete, the central artifacts remain absent, tied up in ongoing diplomatic and custodial negotiations, leaving the museum to reflect both the hope of cultural restitution and the challenges of making that vision a reality.

Custodianship: The Heart of the Conflict

The question of who holds authority over the Benin Bronzes has been central to MOWAA’s delayed mission. The dispute involves three main actors: the Federal Government, Edo State, and the Oba of Benin.

Reports indicate that in 2023 then ‑President Muhammadu Buhari signed a law formally recognising the Oba of Benin as the owner and custodian of repatriated Benin Bronzes, affirming that the artworks were originally palace property and placing the Oba and the palace at the centre of restitution negotiations, a legal position that foreign institutions must now consider when returning artifacts to Nigeria, according to DW.

Edo State, which has backed MOWAA as a state supported cultural hub, argues that the institution should serve as the natural home for returned Benin Bronzes, with repatriated artifacts displayed and managed there to support local education, tourism, and cultural engagement. The museum, originally conceived as the Edo Museum of West African Arts, received international funding from the French and German governments, the Getty Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, and the British Museum, alongside contributions from the Nigerian federal government and Edo State, as part of broader cultural infrastructure development in Benin City. The position is complicated by 2023 legal recognition of the Oba of Benin as custodian, reaffirming the palace’s claim and creating a competing locus of authority, as reported by DW.

The Federal Government maintains that the bronzes, as national assets, are under the authority of federal institutions responsible for antiquities, and their management must comply with national regulations. This overlapping jurisdiction between federal and state authorities has created operational uncertainty.

In June 2025, AP News reported that 119 Benin Bronzes repatriated from the Netherlands were formally entrusted under agreements recognizing the Oba of Benin as their custodian, marking a significant step toward restitution. The report also highlighted ongoing questions about which bronzes should be displayed at MOWAA versus those retained by the palace, as well as how access, loans, and preservation would be managed.

These overlapping claims, federal oversight, state ambition, and traditional authority have shaped MOWAA’s daily operations. Curatorial teams face delays in planning exhibitions, staffing remains partially incomplete, and lending agreements are contingent on which bronzes the Oba permits to leave palace custody. As a result, the museum functions without its defining collection, illustrating how governance disputes directly affect the realization of Nigeria’s restitution goals.

Community Perspectives: Pride, Frustration, and Expectation

Despite MOWAA’s gleaming galleries, the people it was meant to serve express both pride and frustration. Speaking with this reporter, Mr Osamuyi Agbodiafo, a resident and advocate for the museum, said he supports MOWAA’s mission but condemns the Benin Traditional Council for what he described as using tradition to limit wider engagement.

“With what the traditional council is doing, I and many others have lost faith in its leadership. Tradition is being used to limit civilisation and global engagement. The world is being hindered from seeing and experiencing the rich culture of the Benin Kingdom,” he said.

He added that most of the artifacts repatriated from overseas remain in the custody of the palace, while objects on display in MOWAA were unearthed from the museum site itself, land formerly part of the royal house and possibly a shrine.

He went on to explain what the bronzes mean to Edo people. “It is our identity; it tells who we are. It is our pride. An Edo man is proud of who we are. It reflects our heritage. It preserves our history– not on paper but in inscribed art. It gives us insight into what we represent. The bronze is like the Edo man, and the Edo man is the bronze,” Mr. Agbodiafo told this reporter.

A palace staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that staff are authorised to remain silent on custodial matters and that formal inquiries should be routed through the Benin Traditional Council (BTC).

Published reports back these tensions, with protesters disrupting the museum preview to demand clarity on custodianship and greater inclusion of Edo voices. Together, these accounts show that heritage is not abstract; it is a lived identity tied to pride, politics, and the livelihoods of artisans, traders, and young creatives across Benin City.

Identity and Cultural Significance

The absence of the Benin Bronzes from MOWAA creates a visible gap in the cultural landscape of Edo State, and this gap shapes how the museum is being received across the community. Scholars explain that the bronzes encode genealogies, rituals, political histories, and spiritual memory, functioning as living records of the Benin Kingdom. Without them, the museum struggles to give young residents, students, and artisans a direct encounter with the physical symbols that define Edo identity.

This sense of incompleteness has also shaped public reaction to the museum’s launch. The Guardian reported that opening MOWAA without the bronzes revived memories of colonial-era dispossession and brought longstanding governance disputes to the surface. BusinessDay notes that this incomplete collection has intensified cultural anxiety, as the institution, conceived as a homecoming space, cannot yet fulfil the expectations placed on it to restore Edo history and identity.

Taken together, these interpretations show that MOWAA’s role goes far beyond assembling an exhibition. Its success is tied to the community’s ongoing effort to rebuild cultural continuity after centuries of loss.

The bronzes remain at the heart of this process, and their continued absence underscores the unresolved custodial tensions, the differing understandings of tradition, and the challenge of sustaining heritage within a modern, globally connected cultural institution.

International Negotiations

The absence of the bronzes reflects not just local politics but a broader international landscape where restitution remains contested. Nigeria has engaged in prolonged negotiations with European institutions, many of which still hold large portions of the Benin collections.

While some museums, like Germany’s Ethnological Museum, have returned artifacts through bilateral agreements, others rely on loans, limited transfers, or conditional returns that keep the bronzes under foreign control.

Nigeria also lacks a unified restitution law to structure or compel repatriation, leaving negotiations dependent on diplomatic goodwill, shifting museum policies, and foreign political will. This legal gap has created coordination challenges between federal authorities, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and traditional institutions in Benin.

Across Africa, similar struggles highlight restitution’s complexity. Ethiopia’s bid to reclaim the Maqdala treasures and Egypt’s campaign for the Rosetta Stone reveal a familiar pattern of symbolic promises, slow timelines, and institutional resistance. These cases pressure Western museums to adopt greater transparency and ethical accountability.

Edo’s experience sits squarely within this global context. The bronzes are more than artworks; they are test cases in the negotiation over who has the authority to interpret, display, and define African heritage.

MOWA’s empty galleries sit at the intersection of unresolved local custodianship and a global restitution process still unfolding. While decisions about Benin Bronzes returned to Nigeria now rest with local authorities, many works remain abroad in London, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, and New York. According to the British Museum, it alone holds over 900 Benin objects, while Germany’s state museums, including those in Berlin, retain more than 400, as reported by Euronews. Additional artifacts are documented in France’s national museums and U.S. collections, with public campaigns for their return ongoing, according to Al Jazeera.

Developments at MOWA are closely watched by institutions still holding Benin works. Analysts cited by Frieze and The Guardian note that protests, governance disputes, and uncertain public access can shape perceptions of institutional readiness. While these issues do not determine ownership, they may slow restitution or encourage conditional transfers, illustrating the caution institutions may exercise in future negotiations.

Operational Challenges

The ongoing custodianship disputes and delays in bronze repatriation have direct consequences for MOWAA’s daily operations. Curatorial teams struggle to finalize exhibition plans, as uncertainty persists over which bronzes can be displayed, under what conditions, and for how long. As a result, only a small selection of artifacts, largely excavated from palace grounds or recovered locally, are currently on display, leaving the museum’s galleries feeling incomplete.

Staff report unclear roles and responsibilities, with some positions left vacant or only partially staffed because management cannot commit to long-term programming. Administrative gaps affect security, maintenance, visitor services, and educational programming, creating challenges in delivering a consistent museum experience.

Even when bronzes are repatriated, lending agreements, security logistics, and internal governance disputes create additional hurdles. Research programs and collaborations with scholars are delayed or scaled back, as access to original artifacts remains limited. Academic partnerships, exhibition loans, and public workshops cannot proceed as planned, reducing the museum’s capacity to serve as a research and learning hub.

Planned exhibitions have been postponed multiple times, while political influence from both state authorities and traditional institutions often determines which objects can move between storage and display.

Implications for Cultural Diplomacy

Nigeria frames MOWAA as a flagship project in its cultural renaissance, aiming to position the country as a serious player in global heritage debates. The museum signals national confidence and showcases readiness to provide a world-class home for returned works.

Tourism officials projected that a fully operational MOWAA would attract international visitors, stimulate domestic tourism, and expand related sectors. Each delay represents lost revenue, partnerships, and cultural branding opportunities. Restitution museums often anchor local economies, spark creative industries, and draw global attention.

Delays also risk weakening Nigeria’s cultural voice as African nations collectively push for assertive restitution outcomes. Countries such as Senegal, Rwanda, and Ethiopia have used museum projects to reinforce diplomatic messages. To remain competitive, Nigeria must demonstrate clarity of purpose, stable leadership, and public access while resolving internal disagreements to strengthen credibility on the international stage.

The Road Ahead

For MOWAA to finally display the Benin Bronzes, several issues must be resolved. Custodial authority needs a clear definition, logistical frameworks for loans or repatriation must be formalized, and dialogue among the federal government, Edo State, the Oba, and the Benin Traditional Council must be open and consistent.

 Analysts suggest that if negotiations remain steady, partial repatriations and limited exhibitions could begin within the next two to three years, though a comprehensive display may take longer.

Community expectations remain high. Residents, artisans, and cultural advocates want a museum that reflects Edo heritage, educates younger generations, and restores the kingdom’s pride. People speak of wanting a space that feels complete, not symbolic or temporary, and one that truly connects the past with the present. Yet practical realities, such as security, preservation standards, staffing stability, and clear governance structures, must align with these expectations to avoid further frustration.

If MOWAA can navigate these operational, custodial, and diplomatic challenges, it has the potential to become a model for African restitution museums. It could show how cultural diplomacy, local authority, and international collaboration can work together to restore heritage responsibly.

In the end, the museum’s story is not only about artifacts returning home. It is about reclaiming memory, identity, and pride. The return of the bronzes is more than the movement of art. It is the restoration of a people’s history and a reaffirmation of their place in the world.