MOWAA woos local investors, raises $25m from foreigners, others

The Executive Director, Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), Phillip Ihenacho, has appealed for local investment in the facility, noting that although MOWAA has raised $25 million, mostly from international donors, many global partners pine to see Nigerian ownership.

He stated this during a dinner in Lagos, in honour of MOWAA and the return of the Nigeria Pavilion from the 2024 Venice Biennale.

The dinner, hosted by a member of the Development Board of MOWAA, Ike Chioke, and his wife, Yvonne, served as a celebration and a fundraising rally for the soon-to-be-launched MOWAA campus in Benin City, Edo State.

In his welcome remarks, Chioke, an investment banker and cultural advocate, underscored the urgency of preserving Nigeria’s cultural identity through deliberate investment in its heritage.

“One of the projects my wife and I have supported is the Museum of West African Art,” Chioke began before MOWAA patrons, collectors and cultural enthusiasts.

“So this evening, we are going to talk about it and speak to people who are interested in the art, who love culture and who understand the heritage and tradition. It is not just a museum in the traditional sense of it, it is more like an institute, which is discussing and teaching Nigerians about themselves and about our heritage. This is coming at a time the world is looking up to Nigeria in terms of developments and everything.”

Reflecting on the institution’s journey since its inception in 2019, Chioke emphasised that, “MOWAA has come of age,” with the first of many buildings on its Benin City campus now operational. He highlighted the museum’s strategic location in Benin, a city renowned for its historical bronzes, as a deliberate choice that speaks to MOWAA’s broader vision of anchoring cultural ownership in a space historically connected to African artistic excellence.

“This project is not only about heritage, culture and community, it is also about shaping identity and legacy,” he noted.

Reinforcing Chioke’s message, Ihenacho explained the museum’s founding ethos as one rooted not only in restitution and remembrance but in revitalisation.

He said, “We did not want to be a memorial for art done hundreds of years ago. The bronze casters that were crafting 600 years ago have descendants who are ready to begin again. This is about looking backward, only so we can look forward.”

Ihenacho pointed out that the museum, through its broad ambition, seeks to support a new generation of creatives beyond visual art to include designers, musicians and filmmakers.

He highlighted how perceptions of the country shifted over the past 20 to 25 years. According to him, mentioning Nigeria used to prompt discussions about negative experiences, but today, people respond with admiration, particularly for Nigeria’s arts and culture such as music, film and fashion.

This cultural influence, Ihenacho suggested, will ultimately surpass oil and gas as the country’s competitive advantage.

The Director, MOWAA, Ore Disu, expanded the conversation to the exciting programmes ahead, including artist residencies, conservation efforts and knowledge production initiatives.

“We are shifting gears from building a concept to activating a campus,” she said, noting that MOWAA would soon be hosting scholars, traditional craft makers and contemporary creators to foster critical dialogue and collaboration.

Disu explained that MOWAA was designed not only to preserve art, but to inspire new works grounded in deep cultural understanding.