Yemen's swap marriages
"I'll marry your sister if you marry mine. And if you divorce my sister, I'll divorce yours." That is Yemen's Shegar, or swap marriage: an agreement between two men to marry each other's sisters, which removes the need for expensive dowry payments.
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But the agreement also means that if one marriage fails, the other couple must separate too, even if they are happy.
The documentary
BBC Arabic's Mai Noman returns to her native Yemen. She hears the stories of two women who have loved and lost because of Shegar.
Nadia lives with her family in the village of Sawan, on the outskirts of the capital, Sana'a. She was married at 22 and has three children. Her family's decision to marry her under Shegar cost her dearly. She was forced to divorce, and she and her mother now live with the stigma that follows.
Nora and her brother Waleed had little say when they married their cousins through Shegar.
One sibling's happiness against another's
What happens when one sibling's happiness depends on ending the other's marriage? Could you choose your sibling's happiness over your own? Would you stay in an unhappy marriage so that your sibling can stay in a happy one?
Mai asks why an old tradition that makes people love only to force them apart is still practised in Yemen. What do the religious authorities think of it? And is it tied to Islam?
The film describes Yemen as the heart of Arabia, where ancient traditions and values have kept the fabric of society unchanged. In its words, they have preserved Yemen's unique charm and character, but have also held its people in the past. Shegar is one such tradition. It helps poorer families to marry, but at what price?