Leblouh

Leblouh or gavage is the practice of force-feeding teenage girls and 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, 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.

Mauritania

 * Mauritania's 'wife-fattening' farm January 26, 2004.
 * Mauritania seeks to reverse 'fat is beautiful' ethos By Sharon LaFraniere July 3, 2007
 * Leblouh Negative cultures November 2010
 * Mauritania: Force-feeding of young girls waning, replaced by drugs formulated for livestock February, 2011
 * Grasso è bello in Mauritania February 25, 2009.
 * Forced to Be Fat July 21, 2011

Niger

 * Gavage (aḍanay) chez les Touaregs Iwellemmeden kel Denneg (E. Bernus) 1987

Nigeria

 * Where Fat Is a Mark of Beauty Los Angeles Times, September 30, 1998
 * Mbodi: Brides are Fattened for Beauty
 * The fattening room: Nkuho an Efik tradition

Sudan

 * Slim in Sudan: Female fleshiness loses its allure

Tunisia

 * Le gavage à Djerba 1987

Uganda

 * The Price of Beauty Ep# 104	Title: "Uganda" Air-date: April 5, 2010