This ornate fertility doll expresses the traditions of the Bamileke people of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. Due to migrations, there's been an intercultural exchange of customs and beliefs, and the Bamileke people have adapted and welcomed the Akuaba fertility doll of the Akan people, explains Salihu Ibrahim. It is given to women who are about to get married to protect them from evil forces that would keep them from conceiving. When a woman gives birth, the child is given a similar doll for protection. Ibrahim adorns the sese wood doll with recycled glass beads shaping hearts.
