DIPO
How should modern Ghanaians relate to 'culture'? This is a hotly debated issue in Ghana, where 'culture' is positively regarded as 'heritage', but al so has strong connotations with 'backwardness' and 'paganism'. The Dipo rites, annually performed for hundreds of Krobo girls anywhere between two and eighteen years old, are probably the best known and certainly the most persisting girls' initiation rites in Ghana. Krobo people are proud of what they regard as part of their 'custom' and cultural heritage. Without being initiated, a woman is not acknowledged as a legitimate mother and a legitimate wife. Moreover, as the film shows, the performance of the rites is a source of fun for the women involved and solidifies group identity.