These young girls have used manufactured paint to decorate their faces, in place of the more traditional ambwa yellow clay. Their bodies are covered in mbagwa tree oil, and they are wearing traditional hurwa grass skirts.
Nowadays, young girls such as these take part in mali dances in place of igirigija boy initiates of the once flourishing haroli bachelor cult. These igirigija used to dress up as girls as part of a long initiation ceremony, called tege pulu. Young girls now dance this role, which has spilled over into the Mali The female dancers cover their breasts - probably a carry over from the tege pulu, when igirigija wore hurwa grass skirts and wrapped nu string bags around their chests to feign femininity.
Note the rugged mountain ranges in the background, and the jagged peaks that surround the intermontane valleys.