Because it is getting harder to find virgin teenage girls, mothers in charge of the Dipo (puberty rituals) at Dodowa in the Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region are now permitting non-virgins to participate in the ceremonies.
Girls who have had abortions, pregnancies, or births are still not permitted to participate in the ceremonies.
rituals of Dipo
They said that since many females were now engaged in sexual activity, they had no choice but to permit "non-virgins" to participate in the ceremonies.
The change, according to them, will draw more teenage girls to the rituals that, in the past, were reserved for virgin girls between the ages of 10 and 15, ushering them into puberty or womanhood.
When The Mirror team went to the Dipo House in Dodowa to see the event this year, the moms expressed their worry.
The moms are the senile traditional ladies who watch over the execution of the Dipo ceremonies.
lacking enthusiasm
The women, who were in their 80s, expressed their dissatisfaction with the present generation for not being interested in learning about the ritualistic practices.
They worry that if they all pass away, there won't be anyone to carry out the ceremonies for the local girls in their place.
Do you see any deities here? One of the moms was questioned as she led the reporter into the Dipo home.
There were 30 girls there, each covered with a different sort of bead.
The elderly woman claimed that several misunderstandings among the populace had ruined "the beauty and soul of our culture." And as a result, nobody wants to learn from us.
about to enter the Stone chamber are some girls.
Awunye Ashiakie, the head of the "mothers," who has been a part of Dipo ceremonies for the last 60 years, claimed that she began helping elderly ladies when she was just 20 years old.
She clarified that although she annually trained over 100 girls for the puberty rituals, the number was still low in comparison to earlier times.
She blamed modernity, particularly in schooling and the advent of new media, as well as the influence of certain preachers, for the poor patronage.
The actions of some religious authorities, who viewed the puberty ceremonies as an evil teaching, were Awunye Ashaikie's major source of concern.
According to Maameo, a different mother, the reduction in virginity had such an impact on the population that Dipo ceremonies would soon become extinct if they continued to exclusively perform them on virgins.
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