Divorce parties among Bidan communities across north-west Africa stoke intrigue in Muslims from other parts of the world where divorce is shunned. These events, even at times arranged by a suitor interested in a divorced woman, celebrate a woman’s “return to marriageability.” Sometimes as lavish as weddings, this tradition understands divorce not as the end of the world but rather an opportunity for a fresh start (or at least a nice way to announce that a woman is now available).
On the other hand, Konstantina Isidoros offers a telling note in her book, Nomads and Nation-Building in the Western Sahara: Gender, Politics and the Sahrawi.
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