8 June 2009
staff blog
A British tabloid newspaper has set off speculation that pop superstar Madonna is now looking to adopt a child from Lesotho, or even Nigeria.
The Nigerian newspaper, Vanguard, published a report on Monday drawn from the music website, contactmusic.com, saying she "is said to be considering" adopting a Mosotho child, but that "it has also been suggested" that she had discussed adoption with a Nigerian orphanage.
The only source quoted by the site was the British tabloid, the Mail on Sunday, which said nothing about Nigeria but carried a report suggesting that Madonna's desire to adopt a second African child "could be the reason" she watched Prince Harry of Britain playing polo in New York a week ago.
Deeper into the Mail and Sunday report, the details became a little clearer but not the sourcing.
The paper reported that Madonna was "warned last week" that Malawian judges were unlikely to grant her appeal against a judge's decision in April preventing her from adopting a second Malawian child, a girl named Mercy. In 2006, she adopted David Banda, a 13-month-old boy.
The Mail on Sunday went on to quote "a source" as saying: "Madonna is not a patient person, she’s used to getting what she wants. She has said she won’t give up on Mercy but if she’s blocked from adopting her legally then she will think about trying to adopt another baby. She has already started looking into other African countries... She has done some research on Lesotho and because it’s a place that is ravaged by Aids and has a high number of orphans, it could be the perfect second choice."
The newspaper did not explain the Prince Harry connection further, apart from saying that the polo game was a benefit match for Sentebale, a children's charity in Lesotho which he and Prince Seeiso, the younger brother of King Letsie III, have founded. Prince Harry spent time doing volunteer work with children in Lesotho between completing school and joining the British Army.
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Firstly I want to inform the audience that I am a black African. I lived and worked in several African countries. In understand African culture and Africans are right to cherish their heritage…a heritage that encourages respect and care for the elderly, love among siblings, service to the community, hard work and etcetera. Respect, love and civility have no boundaries. This means we are to respect those that don’t look like us or behave like us. Xenophobic, homophobic, ethnocentric or racist comments on this blog don’t portray the African heritage I know and cherish. How can we as a people continue to neglect our responsibilities and continue to blame others for the ills of our societies? We negate the fact that Africa is worse of today than it was half a century ago when colonialism was swept out. Our societies are criminalized and impunity reins. The fibers of society are disintegrating. Governments no longer respond to its citizenry and citizens no longer hold their government accountable. Disease and poverty found permanent residence. We are oblivious to our plight and think that is the way thing should be. We feel no sense of guilt but are eager to point fingers. With pandemonium on a panoramic scale on the continent, people turn to lose sight on the real issues. Madonna adopting a child no longer becomes a single family issue. Government or governments get involve. It becomes a sidetrack to distract us from the every day reality of life in Africa. I’m by no means saying that a government shouldn’t care where her citizens end up. On the contrary, I’m advocating care in totality. Care about disease, corruption, poverty and education. We should care about a functioning society. In fact, Madonna’s adopting an African child can only help the child escape the object poverty that most African children confront. Chronic starvation in childhood will impair functions in adulthood. Madonna is doing more good than ill. If we don’t radically change our societies, I’m afraid that the circle of low productivity and imbecility will stand out. JJ
If Madonna is deemed to be fully ready to take care of this child she,ll definitely be granted the right to adopt her,if the judge,s view is to the contrary he must have seen something to say no.On the other hand, we vehemently oppose the granting of adoptions of African children to those who think it,s normal for a man to marry a man or a woman to do same,stay off African children,go adopt children from Europe or........
GOOD LUCK TO U MADDONA!!! wish mugga the mugger could do the same cross the colour line- AND CHANGE HIS WAY OF THINKING but he will not!! as u can see the NEGATIVE COMMENTS COMING OUT FROM HARARE zanuland!!!!
I happy for the little girl. This is what will happen if a country is unable to take care of their vulnerable innocent children, other people will put you to shame and take care of them. GOD BLESS YOU MADONNA To those Madonna critics have you seen the girl's father speak, he has not seen her all her life and out of the blue he goes on about how he want to take care of his babby. The man sounds like a retard..The mother, may her soul rest in peace is dead, and the sperm donor of a father was not there for her, Madonna well done..
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