A New Era For West African Art, Heritage As MOWAA Institute Opens Soon In Benin City

By Raphael Okhiria, Bassey O Bassey

The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) held a preview event of its first purpose-built building, the MOWAA Institute, on November 4-5, 2024 titled Museum in the Making.

Nestled in the center of Benin City in Edo State, the Institute is an intellectual and cultural monument for the region, putting MOWAA at the forefront of current African museum practice.

The two-day event was aimed at sparking critical conversations about the future of museum practice in West Africa.

Guests engaged with prominent thought leaders such as Prof. Chika Okeke-Agulu, Robert Schirmer (Professors of Art & Archaeology and African American Studies at Princeton University respectively), Prof. Shadreck Chirikure (Edward Hall Professor of Archaeological Science and Director of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art at Oxford University) and Patrick Oronsaye, a well-respected Member of Ekaiwe Royal and the grandson of Oba Eweka, as well as other distinguished intellectuals and cultural practitioners.

The discussions focused on themes such as:- Defining a “West African” museum in the twenty-first century.
– The changing role of arts organizations in urban transformation and sustainable development.
– How archeological technologies might challenge misconceptions about Africa’s past.
– The significance of African leadership in cultural preservation and the ethics of restitution.

Aside from formal discussions, participants were treated to guided tours of the MOWAA Campus and Institute, participatory workshops on traditional pottery and rammed earth building, and enthralling performances by local and international artists.

Visitors were also able to share their ideas about the role of museums in African contexts, confirming MOWAA’s philosophy of being a responsive, dynamic institution.

The two-day event brought together MOWAA’s current donors and partners, which included the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), the German Foreign Office, US-based Mellon Foundation, and other corporate leaders, international artists, and local cultural practitioners. It was an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of people who have played critical roles in bringing MOWAA’s vision to life, as well as to offer an invitation to potential supporters who share MOWAA’s passion for reinventing African art and history.

The MOWAA Institute, consists of a single-story building which provides approximately 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of highly sustainable interior space for state-of-the-art facilities for archaeological research, conservation, and public programs.

Also, the building features an atrium exhibition gallery with views into the collection study area, a 100-seat auditorium, conference rooms, conservation laboratories, a library, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Set within the ancient moats of the Benin Kingdom, the rammed-earth construction links the building to the West African heritage that will be honored by MOWAA throughout the Campus. The building also serves as a model for the care and preservation of the many other mud-wall structures in Benin City and meets global standards of sustainability.

The MOWAA Institute building is designed by Adjaye Associates, with the Lagos-based firm of MOE+ responsible for construction supervision.

With a key focus on research and education, MOWAA has the goal of empowering future generations of cultural stewards by developing African leadership in heritage studies and practices.

Community engagement initiatives have been ongoing over the past two years in support of this goal with programs in field archaeology—conducted in partnership with NCMM, the British Museum and the University of Cambridge— that were joined by activities such as “Discovery Days” for the public, with simulated digs and creative workshops.

Going forward, there will be residency programs for artists and curators, student fellowships; and more. There will also be programs to foster wider learning and public engagement that will be cultivated under the Institute’s Materials Research and Center for Field Archaeology.

Professor Chirikure had this to say on the opening of MOWAA. “MOWAA is not an everyday museum: it is an art gallery, a collections repository, a centre for research, and a platform for bringing artists and communities together to co-curate and co-create heritage. When complete, MOWAA will represent a rare breed of African museums – institutions dedicated to curation, research, and bringing communities to museum practice.

The MOWAA Institute will train a new generation of African researchers at home, using best standards and cutting edge on home soil. It will be a first world institution in Africa.”

Speaking to audiences at the preview, Ore Disu, MOWAA Institute’s Director, said:
“One of my first priorities would be to establish conservation and collections management practices that respond to our tropical climate, designed as practical and shareable protocols.

If we truly want to support other museums and existing collections – which we do – we have to get the fundamentals right. The reality is that there are limited grants for African research and educational institutions. Our focus will be to developing professionals with marketable skills beyond pure research, while expanding African-led scholarship.”

Recall that the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), was formed in 2020 as an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to education, learning and skills development aimed at the preservation of heritage, the expansion of knowledge, and the celebration of West African arts and culture.

Through ongoing partnerships, MOWAA offers programs and resources that foster deeper connections between contemporary art and culture and the rich heritage of West Africa while creating a centre of excellence for African and diaspora artists and scholars.

The MOWAA Institute and its Creative Campus in the historic heart of Benin City will comprise multiple buildings and public spaces for research and education, display, performance, interaction, and the enhancement of arts and culture tourism, designed through the collaboration of local and international architects.

The MOWAA Campus is an ecosystem to nurture, inspire and showcase creatives and heritage professionals, building connections between ancient artistic traditions and the contemporary creative practices.

It will be a place to research and understand the past and empower and celebrate the next generation of culture makers. The campus will be made up of several spaces.

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