Our host, Adrian Ellis speaks to Ore Disu, Director of The Institute, Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) on the mission and vision of MOWAA and how the institution is thinking about culture, museum praxis and the very idea of “The Museum” differently and within the African context.

External references:

• MOWAA website: https://wearemowaa.org/
• Museum of West African Art Announces the Opening of the MOWAA Institute: https://wearemowaa.org/mowaa-institute-launch-announcement/
• The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM): https://museum.ng/
• Igun Street: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igun_Street
• Benin Bronzes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_Bronzes

Guest bio:
Ore Disu has led the MOWAA Institute since January 2022 as its first Director, bringing to it more than a decade of experience in cultural programming, research, and stakeholder management for early-stage organizations. Educated at the University of Cambridge (BA in Architecture) and University College London (MSc in Urban Development Planning), she has implemented grants and contributed to the efforts of non-profit organizations including the Ford Foundation, Goethe Institute, Institute for Liberty and Democracy, Overseas Development Institute, Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Africa Centre for Cities. From 2016 through 2019, she served in the UK’s Department for International Development as Senior Research Partnerships Manager for the agency’s governance and accountability program in Nigeria. She subsequently moved to a multi-national social enterprise, serving as the Government Relations and Partnerships Lead for pilot programs in Uganda, India, and Nigeria. She has been active as a consultant as the founding Executive Director of Nsibidi Institute in Lagos, Nigeria, and as an Associate of the UK-based firm The Policy Practice.