Fed to Wed: An ancient tradition of force-feeding girls in Mauritania

[Music] [Baby cries] [Music] Heijara and Matu own a fashion shop here in the capital city. The girls want to expand their business so they plan to venture further into the country. They want to see what's on offer and what's on demand in and around the ancient capital. [Music] Mauritania has been known for centuries in the Arab world as the land of Chinguetti. One of the ancient cities Muslims consider sacred. The United Nations ranks Mauritania as one of the world's least developed countries. The Sahara desert takes up most of the country which is about twice the size of France But it's population is only around 3 million people. That's less than Paris and its suburbs. Life is hard here in this isolated society where old traditions are rigidly maintained. [Music] [Music] As beauties from the capital Heijara and Matu are honored guests at this party where a concert will be the main event. This is where people go to see and be seen. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heijara and Matu have lingered to rest in this small village just off the main road. [Music] There are no fashion magazines in Mauritania, but girls are able to tune into what's in Vogue around the world using the internet. [Music] [Music] This is Heijara and Matu's first time in the ancient city of Chinguetti. [Music] They're enjoying the opportunity to go shopping. [Laughter] [Music] Our heroines are back with their daughters in Nouakchott. They claim to have gained a couple of kilos in weight during this trip, so it's time for a day of fasting. [Music] The baby girl's family doesn't believe that the fashion for overweight women will end. They hope she will weight at least 100 kilograms by the time she reaches marriageable age. [Music]

Channel: RT Documentary

Views: 1,989,281

Rating: 4.1150756 out of 5

Keywords: RT, Russia Today, RT Documentary, RT Doc, RT docs, documetary film, documentary, Culture, Mauritania (Country), Beauty (Quotation Subject), Force-feeding, standards, women, girls, Leblouh, Tradition (Quotation Subject), Africa (Continent)

Id: QJtJcRqV4GI

Length: 24min 31sec (1471 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 18 2015

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[u/Astilaroth]

Kwam dit net via via tegen. Kon het niet afkijken.