The Museum of West African Art, widely known as MOWAA, is a cultural institution based in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The museum describes itself as an independent non profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of heritage, the expansion of knowledge, and the celebration of West African arts and culture. Founded in 2020, MOWAA positions its work as a catalyst that connects contemporary creativity with the region’s deep artistic and intellectual histories, while creating opportunities for African and Diaspora artists and scholars.
From the outset, MOWAA has presented itself as more than a traditional exhibition space. Its public mission emphasises long term cultural infrastructure, focusing on conservation, research, education, archaeology, digitisation, and public programming. This broader approach reflects an understanding that heritage survives not only through display, but through systems that support care, learning, and professional practice over generations.
EXPLORE NOW: Military Era & Coups in Nigeria
A campus designed for art, research, and public life
MOWAA is being developed as a multi building campus in the historic heart of Benin City. Rather than centring its identity on a single museum hall, the institution describes the campus as an ecosystem of interconnected spaces designed for research, education, exhibitions, performance, and gathering. This includes facilities for artists, scholars, conservators, and the public, alongside gardens and shared civic spaces.
The campus model reflects MOWAA’s ambition to function as cultural infrastructure rather than a standalone attraction. By placing research laboratories, storage facilities, learning spaces, and public venues within one environment, the museum aims to support both the visible and invisible work that sustains cultural heritage.
The MOWAA Institute, a hub for knowledge and conservation
At the centre of the campus is the MOWAA Institute, described as the engine room for knowledge generation and creative collaboration. The Institute is presented as a one storey building with approximately 4,000 square metres of interior space, designed to support archaeological research, conservation, and public programming.
According to MOWAA’s descriptions, the Institute includes an exhibition gallery with views into collection study areas, conference rooms, conservation laboratories, and a library. It also includes an auditorium used for talks, screenings, and public events, alongside spaces intended for workshops and collaborative work.
The Institute is conceived as a working environment where collections care, research, and learning take precedence. By prioritising conservation labs, study areas, and training facilities, MOWAA positions the Institute as a place where heritage is actively maintained and studied, not only exhibited.
From early plans to public launch
MOWAA’s development has unfolded in stages. In 2024, the institution marked a major milestone with a preview programme at the Institute site in early November. This event, described as a “museum in the making” moment, included talks, workshops, guided tours, and studio visits, offering a first look at how the Institute would function as a research and learning hub.
MOWAA later described the Institute as opening in November 2025 as part of its public launch phase, alongside expanded exhibition programming and access to public spaces on the campus. This staged approach reflects the scale and complexity of building a new cultural institution, particularly one combining research, conservation, education, and public engagement.
Archaeology and heritage work in Benin City
Archaeology and heritage research form a central part of MOWAA’s mission. The institution describes ongoing work in and around Benin City that includes excavations, digital mapping, drone surveys, and high resolution 3D modelling. This work focuses on understanding and documenting the city’s historic landscape, including areas connected to royal, civic, and cultural life.
MOWAA presents this archaeological work as a significant contribution to knowledge about Benin City’s past, and as part of a broader effort to protect and interpret heritage within its original context. By combining fieldwork with conservation and digital documentation, the museum aims to support both scholarship and long term preservation.
Major support from the Mellon Foundation
A significant moment in MOWAA’s development came with a major grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Foundation awarded MOWAA a grant of three million dollars in June 2024, supporting work over a multi year period.
The funding is linked to building professional capacity across the institution, including conservation training, archaeological and heritage management work, artist residencies, partnerships, and the development of facilities such as studios and accommodation for visiting practitioners. This support reflects a focus on strengthening long term institutional practice rather than funding exhibitions alone.
Nigeria Imaginary: Homecoming and public programming
MOWAA has also been associated with major exhibition projects, including Nigeria Imaginary: Homecoming. The exhibition explores questions of national identity, cultural production, and how history and imagination intersect in Nigeria. It positions Nigeria as a place shaped by layered narratives, where memory, creativity, and politics are deeply intertwined.
The exhibition’s presence in Benin City signals MOWAA’s intention to activate its spaces through ambitious public programming, even as the broader campus continues to develop. Exhibitions, talks, and learning activities form a key part of how the institution engages with audiences locally and internationally.
READ MORE: Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Heritage politics and the Benin Bronzes
MOWAA operates within a city that holds exceptional historical and symbolic weight. Benin City is closely associated with the Kingdom of Benin and with global debates surrounding the Benin Bronzes, artworks and cultural objects taken during the 1897 British punitive expedition and dispersed across museums worldwide.
In November 2025, public attention focused on MOWAA when a preview event at the site was disrupted amid disputes over cultural authority and the custody of returned artefacts. Reporting described guests being escorted out and visits to the campus being temporarily suspended. The episode highlighted how questions of ownership, governance, and representation continue to shape how heritage institutions function in Benin City.
MOWAA’s website has indicated that visits are by appointment only, reflecting a cautious and controlled approach to public access during a period of sensitivity and transition.
Author’s Note
MOWAA’s story is not only about architecture or exhibitions. It is about building the systems, skills, and trust that allow heritage to be cared for responsibly and shared meaningfully. In Benin City, where history is deeply personal and authority over the past is closely guarded, the museum’s long term impact will depend on how well it balances research, conservation, and public access with respect for local voices and lived traditions.
References
MOWAA Archive, The Institute
MOWAA Archive, Research and Conservation
Mellon Foundation, Museum of West African Art Ltd Gte grant record, award date June 2024
MOWAA Archive, MOWAA Institute launch announcement
MOWAA, Museum in the Making preview programme
MOWAA, Nigeria Imaginary: Homecoming
The Guardian, Protesters target major new Nigerian museum embroiled in looted artefacts row
Associated Press, Protesters in Nigeria disrupt opening of major West African art museum
