Divorce Mauritania Style | Unreported World

304,218
0
Published 2024-05-12
Unreported World meets the women of Mauritania beating the stigma of divorce and throwing lavish parties to celebrate. Reporter Ayshah Tull finds out if divorce culture and women taking multiple husbands is as empowering as it sounds.

Subscribe to our channel for more Unreported World episodes youtube.com/unreportedworld.

In Mauritania it’s thought half of all women here get divorced at least once. In this West African country, steeped in Islamic heritage, local tribal traditions have normalised the practice of women ditching their husbands with many remarrying multiple times.

In the historic city of Chinguetti, Tull meets Teslem Milid who at the age of 26-years-old is about to celebrate divorce number four. With music, dancing and social media, Teslem announces to prospective husbands that she’s on the market. Most marriages here are still arranged by the women's parents, but Teslem says she’s determined to find husband number five herself. As the dust settles on the party Tull hears from Teslem’s mother, also divorced, that cutting the knot here still isn't without its risks.

Travelling from the desert to the capital, Nouakchott. Tull discovers the unintended legacy of divorce, including the high levels of divorced mothers struggling to feed their children. But despite the challenges some have found a way to support each other by creating a divorce economy.

Producer/Director: Wil Davies
Series Producer: Andy Lee
Executive Producer: Ed Fraser
Production Company: Channel 4 News

All Comments (21)
  • @kmedkwako
    No moaning,just pure joy to get out of abusive relationship.Thank you,,Next
  • @user-yy9mt6kl3h
    There's no such thing as a perfect marriage or relationship; they're all unique. What makes one person happy might not make another person happy. But I've found out that there's always a way to fix things. Five years ago, my wife and I were almost divorcing because we had problems in our marriage, but we managed to sort them out. It was a tough period, but we survived.
  • @gtigrl7522
    We need to normalize this worldwide❤. No one should be allowed to stay in abusive relationships, be it man or woman...
  • @22bouha
    That’s my ancestral home and our traditional attire. Thanks for sharing this.
  • @surajrshetty
    I am feeling sad for the children who are not taken care of by their father . Financial support is the least they can do.
  • @chrisylockhart
    If women are free to get divorce that means more chances to get away from domestic abuse. I think this freedom is fantastic compared to some other places where the consequences of trying to leave your husband could be dire.
  • @lunarblack9379
    He said it was right given to them by Sharia and the culture. So the women understood their Islamic right, therefore though it can be sad and unfortunate to be divorced there is no “until death do us part” or that cultural shame which is manifested in many cultures (including Muslim cultures) Having said that I would also like to point out that in these countries there are NO sexual encounters therefor marriage is the only way of being intimate, so it might be shocking for people in some western countries, but if you think about the sexual encounters as marriages than it might be relatable.
  • woe to man who leaves their woman because unable to please them while pregnant. woe on them
  • @jr_san
    This channel always delivers when it comes to off the beaten path cultural documentaries. Well done!
  • @_MuniraAli
    'My ex husband shouted at me so I left' 🙆‍♀️🙆‍♀️ And now she's looking for husband number 3. Daaaaaaamn gurl!
  • I find this both refreshing and disturbing at the same time. I've remained single for most of my adult life after divorce and resent when I have to fill out paperwork and it lists, married, single or divorced for me to check one. I'm single period. But my honesty makes me check the box for divorced that might as well be a box that says failure, as that is how divorced is viewed in the United States, especially for women. A single mother raising her children and a single man raising his are also viewed very differently. A single mother is seen as having baggage and looking for someone else to help carry it. But a single father who has custody of his children that he's raising alone is seen as some kind of a hero and given special treatment in the workplace, because, you know, he's raising his children alone. All praise to him. The exact opposite of what a single mother faces in the workplace and in society as a whole.
  • @kajilai
    Darn... He couldn't have been that bad😂😂😂. Y'all too happy. Laughing with a sparkle in your eye😂
  • @winniealwayo700
    Mauritanian women ! More power to you❤. I giggled when the lady said she left after being yelled at😂. Yes girl, no accepting that kind of treatment and attitude. It was refreshing to watch.
  • @etoilexxx2007
    The conversation @ 15:35 was mistranslated. He said it was his wife that wanted divorce. This documentary is so biased, the women told you that they don't listen to their husband and you have the businessman in the beach telling you the women there require so much and you're saying you don't buy it!!!
  • I lives in Mauritania, to be realistic this country is not a place to get marry. Being a good man is not a guarantee for the survival of marriage in this country. The only thing that can make marriage stable here is for the husband to accept full control by the wife and her family members. Being a figurehead husband is the only thing that will make women comfortable to stay in the marriage.
  • @wetinbidat
    All I can say is WOW 😢 ! I feel pity for the innocent children caught in between
  • I converted to Islam in my early 20's. I grew up as a Catholic and was taught Biblical Scriptures until I stopped going to church and made mistakes which cause me to return to a God - conscious life that I was influenced by through the Catholic church.   When I saw Muslim women covering themselves and appearing to live a God - conscious life, I considered studying and practicing Islam. My experience with studying and practicing Islam, was the reality that the morality taught about Islam, was that I could not EXPERIENCE MORALITY through the practice of Islam.   Muslim men can have 4 wives and can have unlimited divorces. What good is MORALITY when men can have unlimited divorces from 4 women, remarrying 4 women after relinquishing his marriage vows to his wives, one or more at any time.   In the practice of Islam, Women can divorce as many times as possible to relinquish her marriage vows to re-marry over and over again. What good is MORALITY when men and women PRACTICE INFIDELITY?????????? I have returned to Our Holy Lord and Saviour, Yahushua, Most High since a failed marriage by Islamic practice. Our Holy Lord and Saviour, Yahushua, Most High is the way to the SALVATION for mankind, through Our Holy Father, Yahweh, Most High.
  • @guillermone1
    This can't be good. What makes a strong country are strong and stable families. If you have a weak family structure, it makes for a weak and the beginning to the end for any country.