Force fed in order to make them look fatter...

When this weight loss report came into the Ukmedix Newsroom we have to confess that most of us had absolutely no idea where Mauritania was and I bet there are not many people out there who can tell you the name of its capital city without a Google search or checking an encyclopedia. Well in this western African nation which was once a colony of France they have a completely different attitude to dieting and weight compared to the attitude that we have in the United Kingdom and Europe. In Mauritania it’s good for women to be obese!

The act of making a girl put on weight is "gavage" which is a saying left over from French colonisation which is used to describe how you fatten a goose in order to make the delicacy foie gras. The reason why a man wants a fat daughter is that it proves to everyone else that he is a rich man and that he must have lots of land and animals. The contrast between the wealthier people and the poor people is especially marked in a country that has been plagued by famine and war for decades.

Many of the overweight and obese women in Mauritania will tell stories of having been forced fed by their mothers and fathers in order to make them put on weight. The practice involved about 1/3 of all women around 30 years ago but is becoming less prevalent as western style attitudes to weight are slowly making their way into the Mauritanian psyche. Nevertheless today around 10% of all Mauritanian girls are force fed in order to make them look fatter.

Despite the emphasis on being overweight in Mauritania the country has not yet attained the levels of obesity that exist in America. This is not surprising considering they have yet to open a McDonald’s or Burger King and the fast-food culture is something unheard of. In order to fatten up their children parents often make them drink large amounts of camel milk which is extremely high in fat.

Anyway it makes you think doesn’t it, if you’re overweight and female the place to go is Mauritania, and if you’re still wondering what the capital of Mauritania is….it’s Nouakchott!