African Art Fertility Rites of Passage Mixed Media Painting, "Rites of Passage"

Ghanaian artisan Cherkoh shares his modern version of a centuries' old tradition with this stunning painting. "Throughout Africa a rite of passage - be it child birth, marriage, or death - is accompanied by the playing of instruments, mostly the drum and flute. The type of tune they play distinguishes one rite from the other. Child birth is the beginning of all the stages in the rites, that is why a woman who cannot conceive is given an Akuaba doll as a symbol of fruitfulness. I used the Akuaba doll in the background as a sign of childbirth, and the jubilation that accompanies it with the musicians playing the flute and drum," explains Cherkoh. He paints with oils and masterfully outlines the musicians with dried plantain leaves, creating a stunning composition.