Harare — I know what my learned friend Professor Tafataona Mahoso has said about western pop stars trying to find some raison d'etre by taking up the cause of the poor in Africa.

Irish star Bono has joined Oprah with a scheme called Red Clothing. All the profits will go to AIDS projects in Africa. Before Madonna adopted David Banda of Malawi, primate scholar Diana Fossey had adopted two children from the Congo. Yes, Professor Mahoso, these westerners feel good about helping blacks. I find nothing wrong with their desire to help poor Africans.

The main objection is that it makes them feel superior by helping poor Africans. The benefactors do not express it that way. Oprah, Bono and Fossey may feel superior but that is not the main motivating factor. It is in human nature that when all Maslow's five basic needs are met, man yearns for something higher, which we call spiritual. By helping out, Madonna feels blessed (not superior).

Madonna has experienced everything a material world can provide. In the long run, she has tasted all the French wines available, all the Texan steaks and all the pancakes. At the end of the day, as the Biblical Solomon found out, all is vanity. Madonna, working with US renowned economist, Jeffrey Sachs, has promised $3 million for Malawian orphans. I do not know how anybody with any human feeling in his heart can condemn such an act of generosity.

The second argument is that Madonna bulldozed her way through the African civil service in Malawi because she is white and rich. That is the only way things are done in Africa. The patriotic associations in Malawi accuse her of stealing a black child in order to use her as a trophy. The president of Malawi was interviewed and he agreed to the deal. Mr Banda, David's father, was interviewed by Madonna and given options. Madonna offered him some support but he declined the support. His son, if he was transported to the US, will be living in some type of heaven on earth. He wished well for his son. The argument by Africanists that the child will be "whitened" and that he will be used as a trophy has some credence but is hypocritical. It is fashionable here to have Oriental or brown children as adoptees. It makes the family feel superior for going against the grain of racism.

The complaints by Africans, however, cannot be taken seriously. They themselves speak with forked tongues. Whenever I go home to Zimbabwe I am besieged by these hypocritical Africanist chefs wanting me to find a place for their children at an American university. America is where the future of the world is being made. Banda knows as much, and is no fool. He wants his son to drink from the same fountain that the chef's children are drinking from, to attend American schools and live the American dream. If little David lives and studies in Pharaoh's House as Dr Hastings Banda did in earlier times, he may return to his homeland and make a contribution. If he stays in Malawi, he will definitely be a victim of malnutrition or malaria.

The argument that helping one child is only a drop in the bucket is erroneous. Madonna has offered to support a $3 million orphanage in Malawi. That is more than a drop in the bucket. Besides, the reason why most Africans are poor is due to the predatory behaviour of the chefs. African countries like Zimbabwe, the Congo and Uganda are endowed with resources to make them little paradises on earth. They are poor because the chefs cannot see beyond their flat noses, nor do they care about laying foundations for the future of children like little David Banda.

Banda has some words for Madonna's critics. "I am afraid David may be sent back and the orphanage may not even accept him back. So where will he end up?" These human rights activists have not adopted any black children themselves. There are one million children in Malawi and half a million black children in the US. Africans and blacks in general do not adopt outside their blood lines. There is no reason for them to complain when white people offer these indigent children some kindness.

We must return to the most telling argument, that it is a celebrity fashion and a fad. Yes, it is a fashion to adopt children of colour. If the critics are concerned about children and their parents, they can contribute U$50 a month to World Vision. That way, children can be raised by their parents. And please don't look at me. I support one child at Africa University. I guess my anger is provoked by people who can do something, but choose not to, and they sit and criticise those who have done something good.