I've heard of the "big power" pills that people are taking in Somalia but I don't know what they are made of - could it be the same as the one's that are popular in Sudan?
Sudan's Big and Beautiful Pills for Women
Sudan's Big and Beautiful Pills for Women
From The Neighbours' Shock to Chicken Thighs and My Mama Suspects, the clinical name of pills are forgotten and replaced by promises of a bigger bottom, shapely thighs and a belly that will have your mother concerned that you might be pregnant.Tablets range from standard appetite stimulants to allergy medicines containing the steroid hormone, cortisone.
The side-effects of taking cortisone are now a cash cow for pill peddlers. It is known to slow the metabolism, increase appetite, trigger water retention and create extra deposits of fat around the abdomen and face.
Using unregulated steroids without supervision can damage the heart, liver, kidneys and thyroid, says Dr Salah Ibrahim, Head of the Pharmacists' Union in Sudan.
Young women in Sudan are dying from kidney and heart failure caused by sudden steroid withdrawal, medical professionals say.
Sudan isn't the only African society where being overweight is a symbol of prosperity and power, boosting the "marriageability" of young women. But in this country, it embodies an ideal.
It defines the ultimate Sudanese woman - full-bodied and light-skinned - epitomising beauty and coveted as a wife.
The iconic status of Nada Algalaa, a Sudanese singer whose looks are widely praised and emulated, is testament in itself.