It isn’t quite North Korea versus the world, but the celebrity arms race between Angelina and Madge escalated this week, as Madonna and hubby Guy Ritchie visited Malawi to launch a charity for orphans that will base its activities on Kabbalah. Actually, the better analogy is the Cold War: just as the United States and Soviet Union did in their time, the celebs are collecting the allegiance of various third-world countries, which gain publicity in exchange for putting up with the antics of their new patrons. Ethiopia and Cambodia, the native countries of her two adopted children, are in Angelina’s sphere of influence. Now Namibia, which provided seclusion, and guard against paparazzi for the birth of Shiloh Nouvel earlier this year, is firmly lodged in her column. Now Madonna and Guy have made their own Southern Africa play.
Of course, they can’t just start up a charity for those poor Malawian orphans; they have to have one of their own! The lucky son-elect is David Banda, age 1, whose mother died after his birth. David’s father is in the picture, and has given the adoption his blessing:
“They are a lovely couple. She asked me many questions. She and her husband seem happy with David. I am happy for him. Madonna promised me that as the child grows she will bring him back to visit,” he said.
And the Malawian High Court has awarded Madonna and Guy an exemption from the country’s law against cross-border adoptions:
Malawian law does not allow for inter-country adoptions, and generally requires people who want to adopt to spend 18 months being evaluated by Malawian child welfare workers. But it seems even this is no obstacle for the Material Girl after Malawian officials, who refused to elaborate, indicated that such restrictions would be waived for the couple.
The best part of this is that the government of Malawi is going to send its own social workers to check on the child’s well-being:
“Government in this instance will use our Washington office (embassy) to monitor the progress with the couple (Madonna and Ritchie),” said Andrina Mchiela, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
“And also government will appoint a welfare officer from Malawi to liase with our Washington embassy and make visitations to where the child will be,” she added.
For more serious analysis of celebrity adoptions from Africa, check out this article from today’s Washington Post.
Being a Bears fan, I’m positive Wilbon will give me a pass. Knucklehead or not, he won’t diss a Bears fan (especially when they’re winning)
today’s posts have been outta control.. from talking about youtube and that leading to debating languages of india…
from a plane crashing into a nyc building to having rajni step in and the thread closing..
now madonna adopting a kid from africa and the discussion moves to talking about different colored excrement..
i thought i had seen it all..when i witnessed 2 drunk patients throwing their poop at each other in the ER.. from today it seems i haven’t.
i am hereby prescribing immodium/lomotil for everyone… quieter bowels for all and to all a good night.
GujuDude,
See you on November 26th, playa!
I prefer Metamucil or the desi version, Isabgul. Natural fiber AND it stays brown (TAKE THAT SPINACH!) Ok, Ok, I will finally go away. No more poop for now, until the morning vist to the commode.
Things go to hell in a handbasket at times, this one did too, carrying poo!
IT’S ON!(November is tough for the Bears. Three consecutive away road games – Giants, Jets, and Pats)
I’ve lived in Malawi for quite a while before coming to the US and its nice to see that now instead of telling people who ask me where Malawi is, that its 2 countries south of Kenya, I can refer them to the Madonna adopted a baby from this here location. YAA!!!
But seriously, Malawi is SUCH a poor country. They have no natural resources, the economy SUCKS, cost of living is high and crime is UNIMAGINABLE! I could tell your stories on this topic for HOURS! Anyways, having Madonna adopt a child from Malawi is good for the country because it gives this small land-locked country exposure in the world. They can seriously use the tourism money (and they have great locations….fresh water lake, beautiful mountains, game reserve and other things you would expect of a trip to Africa). I think this is partly the reason the country waived the 18 month “getting to know you” phase for Madonna.
OH And the question of why and how it relates to us brownies…..there are SHIT lots of our peeps in Malawi. My own family has a history in Malawi since 1908 (Malawi used to be a british colony). So quit talking smack of my second land. Peace.
Sushant,
I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw Siddharth had posted this topic.
As much as I roll my eyes at La Jolie’s growing charm bracelet of exotic orphans, and now Madge, but, I thought to myself, at least more Americans will actually have the faintest inkling of Namibia and Malawi.
I’m just hoping one of them makes Ouagadougou or Antananarivo (lemurs!) their next stop…
Sushant: Are you desi? How did you or your family end up in Malawi?
I know its a slow week but this post was the pits. No relevance to this blog.
If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it. What the fuck.
Perhaps Siddhartha is merely auguring a dark future when all those Delhi roads named after members of the non-aligned movement are renamed “Madge Nagar” and “Brangelina Marg”.
Stranger things have happened…
This thread is a good example of the herd mentality of desis. One poster goes into the toilet acting cool and the rest follow him into the crapper imagining they are all being oh so cool as well. Pathetic.
Thanks for your interest. Yep. Indian through and through. My great-grandfather came to malawi in 1908 to be the station master for one of the major cities railways and I still have family in Malawi to this day.
I applaud their efforts. Now if only Bill Gates would adopt me. 🙂 Are you from Namibia??
gujudude..
we need a recap of your anti-diarrheals..
that makes your bowels go..not plug it up.. ;)…
okay..medicine 101 is done for the day.
the father of the kid madge is adopting wants him back…