Blog Entry 4: The Dipo puberty rite of passage
Africa is endowed with cultural and traditional practices and Ghana is no exception. In this blog post I would be sharing a traditional ceremony practiced in Ghana called the ‘’ The Dipo rite of Passage’’ It is celebrated to initiate a girl child to adulthood, this is similar to Quinceanera but celebrated differently.
Dipo ceremony is celebrated by a tribe named the Krobos in the Eastern region of Ghana. It is celebrated every year in April and takes four days to complete. During this period, the girls are dressed in a special way to show that they are initiates.
During this period,they have food restrictions and are only allowed to drink water from a special well. They are taught the Klama dance, undergo a ritual bath and the crux of the rite is when the girls are made to sit on a stone which is believed determines virginity. Any girl who is found not to be a virgin at the time of the rites used to be ostracized in the past and was treated as an outcast. Nowadays, due to stigmatization, a set of purification rituals are performed for such a girl. They are then taken to the river where their clothes are taken off and the girls are dipped into the water three times, a special prayer is made to provide the girl with fertility and good health. On the last day of the rites, the girls are dressed up in colorful Kente cloth (a traditional cloth in Ghana) and adorned with a lot of beads on their neck, arms and waist. A durbar is held during which the girls perform the Klama dance amidst singing and in the presence of onlookers. Gifts such as clothing and jewelry are given to them. Girls have to pass through this rite to be considered ready for marriage. Below is a link to a YouTube video showcasing the ceremony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BMIkcrToI&t=259s
Only the first 5mins is relevant.
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