Reportage | Pratique de gavage, chimique, en Mauritanie
Le gavage des femmes mauritaniennes : entre tradition et enjeux contemporains. Une pratique controversee mettant en lumiere des questions cruciales autour de la sante et des droits humains. Avec le temps, l augmentation des prix des produits alimentaires et le conditionnement societal, les Mauritaniennes se tournent vers une nouvelle pratique : le gavage chimique. En depit des risques, les jeunes filles continuent de subir une pression familiale et acceptent cette nouvelle version de la tradition, preferant repondre aux normes. Mbelha, un terme en hassanya issu du dialecte arabe, est une pratique ancestrale. Il designe l etat des femmes grosses et donc pretes a se marier, apres avoir ete gavees. Dans le passe, pour preparer au mariage, les jeunes filles n excedant parfois pas 10 ans etaient envoyees en maison de gavage. Certaines femmes temoignent aujourdhui de ce qu elles ont subi. Elles racontent qu elles ont ete battues, maintenues de force, et parfois mal traitees afin de consommer un maximum d aliments contre leur volonte. Les aliments les plus utilises sont le lait de chamelle, la bouillie et le couscous de mil, dont l effet immediat est de procurer du poids. Depuis 2018, le prix de ces aliments a fortement augmente, cette pratique de gavage traditionnel tend a s estomper, certains disent meme quelle est revolue. Dans les faits, les mentalites restent fortement conditionnees a un ideal de beaute et la technique a simplement evolue. Il n est plus question d envoyer les jeunes filles en maison de gavage, il est desormais pratique dans lintimite des maisons. Elles ingurgitent des produits naturels favorisant la prise de poids comme le lait de chevre sucre, ainsi que des medicaments et des pilules destines au betail. Issu de la pharmacie et du marche noir, une potion explosive est concoctee a base de Tres-Orix, un sirop stimulateur d appetit et de prise de poids, de Premarin, une pilule contenant des oestrogenes conjugues et de Dexamethasone, un corticoide de synthese destine a faire grossir les animaux plus vite. En echange d une remuneration discrete, il est facile de se procurer ce cocktail. Les effets de cette course effrenee aux kilos sont dramatiques pour la sante de ces jeunes femmes : diabete, maladies cardiovasculaires, risques dinfertilite, hypertension arterielle, insuffisance renale... les consequences sanitaires sont nombreuses, allant dans certains cas jusqu a la mort. Afin de lutter contre ces effets secondaires, certains medecins avise leur recommandent de pratiquer des activites sportives regulierement. Un changement de paradigme s opere chez certaines femmes, conscientes des benefices pour leur sante mais desireuses de garder certaines rondeurs, elles souhaitent se reapproprier leur corps. Au sein de ce mouvement societal, certaines prennent le parti de rejeter cette pratique et iront meme jusqu a lutter contre la tradition. Ces dix dernieres annees, certains leaders dopinion et ONG ont lance des campagnes de sensibilisation afin dalerter sur les risques et consequences de ces pratiques. Explorons ce sujet a travers un reportage immersif, plongeant dans le quotidien des jeunes femmes victimes de la tradition, du conditionnement social, puis de celles qui osent defier les normes etablies.
Sujet produit a 4 mains avec : Astrid Lagougine | Hans Lucas
FORCE-FEEDING PRACTICES IN MAURITANIA: THE OBSESSIVE QUEST FOR BEAUTY
The force-feeding of Mauritanian women: between tradition and contemporary issues. A controversial practice highlighting crucial health and human rights issues. With the passage of time, rising food prices and social conditioning, Mauritanian women are turning to a new practice: chemical force-feeding. Despite the risks, young girls continue to be subjected to family pressure and accept this new version of tradition, preferring to comply with standards. Mbelha, a term in Hassanya derived from the Arabic dialect, is an ancestral practice. It refers to the state of women who are fat and therefore ready to get married, after having been force-fed. In the past, to prepare for marriage, young girls sometimes as young as 10 were sent to a feeding house. Today, some of the women can testify to what they went through. They tell how they were beaten, held down by force and sometimes badly treated in order to consume as much food as possible against their will. The foods most commonly used are camel's milk, porridge and millet couscous, the immediate effect of which is to put on weight. Since 2018, the price of this food has risen sharply, and the traditional practice of force-feeding is tending to fade, with some even saying that it is a thing of the past. In reality, mentalities are still strongly conditioned to an ideal of beauty, and the technique has simply evolved. There is no longer any question of sending young girls to be force-fed, which is now done in the privacy of their own homes. They ingest natural products that encourage weight gain, such as sweet goat's milk, as well as medicines and pills intended for livestock. Derived from pharmacies and the black market, an explosive potion is concocted based on Tres-Orix, an appetite stimulant and weight gain syrup, Premarin, a pill containing conjugated oestrogens and Dexamethasone, a synthetic corticosteroid designed to make animals put on weight faster. In exchange for discreet payment, it's easy to get hold of this cocktail. The effects of this frantic race to pack on the pounds are dramatic for the health of these young women: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, risk of infertility, high blood pressure, kidney failure... the health consequences are numerous, in some cases even leading to death. To combat these side-effects, some well-informed doctors recommend regular exercise. A paradigm shift is taking place among some women, who are aware of the benefits to their health but still want to retain certain curves, and want to reclaim their bodies. As part of this societal movement, some women are rejecting the practice, even going so far as to fight against tradition. Over the last ten years, a number of opinion leaders and NGOs have launched awareness campaigns to warn of the risks and consequences of these practices. Let's explore this subject through an immersive report, plunging into the daily lives of young women who are victims of tradition and social conditioning, and then of those who dare to defy the established norms.
Subject produced by 4 hands with : Astrid Lagougine | Hans Lucas
