The Executive Chairman, Edo Museum of West African Art ( EMOWAA), Mr Philip Ihenacho has said that the ongoing museum project in Benin city is neither in competition with the Royal Benin Museum nor in position to be in custody of the returned Benin bronzes.
He stated that EMOWAA had no claim to any Benin artefact and cannot determine whether or not it would have anything to do with Benin artefacts.
“What we have today, if you visit our museum you will know that we are struggling to preserve and maintain the collections.
“Our problem in Nigeria is not in the lack of objects but in the lack of infrastructures to maintain arts and artefacts. So, we are building something that whether one or zero bronze comes back, it is needed in Nigeria and West Africa,” he added.
Ihenacho who spoke while unveiling plans and programmes of EMOWAA at an interactive session with the reporters in Lagos, stressed that the Pavilion, which is the first project of the museum would serve as facilitator and platform-supporting and maintaining part of a planned cultural district in the heart of Benin city.
“What we are hoping is that if the relevant agency or owners of the bronzes decide that we store some of the objects for them and whenever they need them we return, no problem. It is not for us to decide where those objects are to be warehoused,” he said.
The Creative district, he said, would collaborate with, and boost the success of all existing and planned cultural institutions in Benin City, including the future Royal Benin Museum and the existing NCMM Museum by facilitating “a thriving creative hub and tourism destination in Edo State.”
According to Ihenacho, works are in progress on the construction of the pioneer building designed by world renowned architect, David Adjaye (OBE) in collaboration with Nigerian architects MOE.
The not-for-profit Foundation/Trust – pavilion which was floated in 2019 is expected to house a materials and digital lab; archaeology centre and research, as well as archives facility.
Ihenacho noted that the targeted EMOWAA scope of operation was beyond being a museum, revealed that the pioneer pavilion which is still under construction would provide modern research facilities for artists and academics from West Africa and archaeological and material lab, as well as a digital equipment and facilities to support the storage and ‘study of West Africa’s unique cultural knowledge base and our imagined futures into 2D/3D reality for global access and engagement’.
