Signed Realist Portrait of a Girl's Initiation Rites Dance, "Dipo Dance"

With carefully practiced steps, a solemn young teen dances in one of the most important moments of her life. The Dipo dance is part of the puberty rites of the Krobo and Ada peoples of Ghana. These are meant to help foster chastity and morality in these societies, and teach the participants everything from good motherhood to good housekeeping. Working in acrylic on canvas, Thomas Amoako Boafo depicts the girl finalizing her initiation into womanhood.