New Museum of West African Art Will Incorporate the Ruins of Benin City
EMOWAA’s (Edo Museum of West African Art) future home is located in the heart of the old city, next to the palace of the oba, or king, of Benin, which was rebuilt in the 20th century following its destruction in the 1897 attack. Plans to incorporate Benin City’s surviving walls, moats and gates into the new building. In January 1897, British troops attacked the Kingdom of Benin’s capital in what is now southern Nigeria, exiling the Edo people’s ruler, destroying much of the c