Leblouh
Encyclopedia
Leblouh or gavage is the practice of force-feeding
young women, including girls as young as five, in Mauritania
, where obesity
was traditionally regarded as desirable. Especially prevalent in rural areas, and having its roots in Berber
tradition, leblouh is practiced to increase chances of marriage in a society where high body volume used to be a sign of wealth. The practice goes back to the 11th century, and has been reported to have made a significant comeback after a military junta
took over the country in 2008.
Older women called "fatteners" force the young girls to consume enormous quantities of food and liquid, including their own vomit, and inflicting pain on them if they don't eat and drink. One way of inflicting pain is to pinch a limb between two sticks. A six-year-old might typically be forced to drink 20 liters of camel's milk, and eat two kilos of pounded millet
mixed with two cups of butter, every day.
The younger generations of males in Mauritania now see fattening negatively.
Force-feeding
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. "Gavage" is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'....
young women, including girls as young as five, in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, where obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
was traditionally regarded as desirable. Especially prevalent in rural areas, and having its roots in Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
tradition, leblouh is practiced to increase chances of marriage in a society where high body volume used to be a sign of wealth. The practice goes back to the 11th century, and has been reported to have made a significant comeback after a military junta
2008 Mauritanian coup d'état
A coup d'état took place in Mauritania on 6 August 2008 when Mauritanian President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high ranking generals he had dismissed from office earlier that day.-Background:...
took over the country in 2008.
Older women called "fatteners" force the young girls to consume enormous quantities of food and liquid, including their own vomit, and inflicting pain on them if they don't eat and drink. One way of inflicting pain is to pinch a limb between two sticks. A six-year-old might typically be forced to drink 20 liters of camel's milk, and eat two kilos of pounded millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
mixed with two cups of butter, every day.
The younger generations of males in Mauritania now see fattening negatively.