In Accra’s unmistakable sunlight, Carlos Idun-Tawiah seizes a moment that balances innocence and strength.

A boy in a red number one jersey rides high on the shoulders of a man in yellow, their hands clasped and the child’s arms opened wide to the breeze. The gesture is generous—more liberation than triumph—offering the boy a vantage point and a sense of limitless possibility.

This scene is a quiet testament to the bonds of kinship and the capacity for joy found in daily life. It is not just a snapshot of trust between generations; it is a living geometry of support that forges confidence out of contact, laughter, and movement.

The photograph’s composition never feels forced. Everything flows: posture, interplay of clothing colors, the backdrop of a modest cityscape, and the sharp, sincere light that makes every detail vivid.

Belonging to Carlos Idun-Tawiah’s series Boys Will Always Be Boys, the image expands on the theme of boyhood as both memory and active ritual. The series is not only a requiem for the photographer’s own childhood, but a celebration of everyday moments shared among brothers, friends, mentors—those small, significant exchanges that shape identity in subtle ways.

The photograph invites viewers to witness the passing of confidence and hope from one generation to the next. By elevating the child, the older figure embodies what it means to be a vessel for another’s dreams.

On an Accra street, in a single frame, the picture affirms how brotherhood—in all its forms—offers both protection and the courage to look beyond the horizon.