By Mercy Onyenweli
The Museum for West Africa Art Institute (MOWAA) has been officially unveiled in Benin City to address intellectual and Cultural monument for the region.
The official ceremony which took place at the city center of Benin City with the theme , “Museum in the making: A Space for Critical Conversations and Reflection” showcased the Art Institute’s dedication to reshape museum practices and cultural engagement in Nigeria and West Africa at large.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof. Chirikure pointed out that MOWAA is the first World Museum Institution in Africa. He said MOWAA is not an everyday Museum but a center for research, and a platform to bring artists and communities together to co-create cultural heritage.
According to Prof. Chirikure, MOWAA represents a rare breed of African museum-institutions dedicated to curation, research and bringing communities to museum practices.
“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”
On her part, the Institute Director, Ore Disu stressed that the institute will focus on developing Professionals with Marketable skills beyond pure research while expanding African-led scholarships.
“One of my first priorities would be to establish conservation and collections management practice 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 develop Professionals with Marketable skills beyond pure research while expanding Africa-led Scholarship.” she said.
Speaking further, she added that the Institute will be a place to research and understand the past and empower and celebrate the next generation of culture makers, just as she explained that the campus will be made up of several spaces.
The two day event had participants treated to a guided tour of the MOWAA campus and institute participatory workshop on traditional pottery and rammed earth building and enthralling performance by local and international artists.
According to reports, the museum was formed in 2020 as an Independent, non-profit organization dedicated to education, learning and skills development aimed at the preservation of heritage, expansion of knowledge and the celebration of West African arts and culture.
The Institute will be offering programs and resources that foster deeper connections between contemporary art and culture and the rich heritage of West Africa .
MOWAA’s current donors and partners which includes the National Commission for Museum and Monument s (NCMM), the German Foreign Office, US-based Mellon Foundation and other corporate leaders, international artists and local cultural practitioners were also on ground to witness the monumental opening of the institute.
The MOWAA campus will serve as an ecosystem to nurture, inspire and showcase creative and heritage Professionals, building connections between ancient artistic traditions and the contemporary creative practices.