The opening of the MOWAA in Nigeria, meant to display west African art, has been postponed after protesters disrupted a private visit Sunday, officials said.
The Museum of West African Arts (Mowaa) had been due to officially open Tuesday, but this will now be postponed indefinitely, officials said.
Mowaa was launched five years ago by Nigerian businessman Phillip Ihenacho in Benin City, Edo State, with the support of its former governor.
It's due to house exhibition spaces and archives and aims to host residencies for west African artists and craftspeople, and Sunday was holding a pre-opening event for donors and industry professionals.
But around 20 men, some armed with wooden bats, stormed into the museum courtyard, forcing guests to take refuge inside.
The group, whose demands were not clear, caused minor damage in the museum courtyard, AFP reporters saw.
"Protesters entered and began vandalising part of the reception pavilion, where we receive visitors, then they stormed inside the front section, where the exhibition area is located," Ihenacho said.
After around two hours, guests were escorted away in buses to a nearby hotel.
The museum has sparked tensions between the former state governor and his successor, an ally of the city's traditional ruler, Oba Ewuare II, who says he should be in charge of the museum.
Benin for years has been trying to recover artefacts seized during the colonial era, in particular the "Benin Bronzes" looted more than 120 years ago.
Most of the ornate bronzes were seized by British soldiers in a retaliatory raid on Benin, and then auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States.
Ihenacho said he believed the protesters were "representatives from the palace" of Oba Ewuare II. "We have never pretended to be anything other than the Museum of West African Art," Ihenacho added.
MOWAA published a statement on the website:
Earlier today, a protest took place on the MOWAA campus in Benin City. The demonstration appeared to stem from disputes between the previous and current state administrations. While MOWAA was mentioned in the wider context of these grievances – alongside other development projects – we wish to emphasise that MOWAA is an independent, non-profit institution, of which the former governor has no interest financial or otherwise.
As a precaution, all guests were safely escorted to secure locations and supported in continuing their travels to hotels, airports, or other destinations in the city. The safety and well-being of our staff, visitors, and partners remains our highest priority. We are working closely with local authorities to address the situation.
We are deeply grateful to all our guests – many of whom travelled long distances to be here – for their understanding, patience, and resilience. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this situation may have caused, including interruptions to travel plans or scheduled visits. Your commitment to being with us means a great deal, and we regret that your experience today was disrupted.
For those currently in Benin City, we advise against visiting the MOWAA campus until the situation has been resolved. There will be no preview events on Sunday 9 November, Monday 10 November and Tuesday 11 November.
If you were planning to travel to Benin for the MOWAA preview week, please suspend your travel plans unless you have other essential reasons to be in the city.