International Adoption, Child Adoption - One more on Madonna: An African view

10/31/06

One more on Madonna: An African view

Posted by : Sandra Hanks Benoiton in International Adoption Blog at 07:22 am , 411 words, 122 views
Categories: Spreading the Word

From Zimbabwe via RadioAfrica come the thoughts of Professor Stanford Mukasa, and a take on the scavenging press ... bottom feeder that it far too often is ... I like a lot:

For a number of weeks now the main news coming from Malawi has been the so-called controversy surrounding the adoption of David, barely one month into his second year of existence in this world.

Hundreds of journalists and photographers have descended like news vultures on the poor father of David, Yohane.

Why a common procedure of adoption in which both Madonna and David’s father agreed should have caused such a controversy is mind boggling.

Many of these journalists went to Malawi to speak to David’s father. These journalists would have stayed at expensive hotels; rented vehicles and driven to Yohane's home; asked Yohane a question whose answer was already well known around the world; driven back to the hotel and perhaps flown back to their home countries!

On the way to and from Yohane’s village the journalists most likely passed thousands of destitute and poor families. This was probably not news to them.
It must have cost thousands of dollars to send the army of journalists to ask Yohane one question. Had the foreign journalists liaised with their Malawian counterparts and sent local journalists to Yohane the money saved could have been donated to the orphaned children.

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He goes on to question the motives of "human rights organizations' and such, but we've BTDT.

This point is good enough to beat into the ground:

What human rights advocates missed entirely was the definition of what was in the best interest of young David. Malawi’s adoption laws do not seem to serve David’s or other orphaned children’s interests.

They do not take into account the critical question that must always be asked: What is in the best interest of child? They have not explained how the interest of the child would best be served by an adoption law that has been superimposed on a community of impoverished and orphaned children.

... The existence of over a million orphans living a dilapidated and squalid existence is an indictment against the very same government’s failure to take care of its people, especially children. It’s like a mother who failed to take care of her child requiring to evaluate other people wishing to take care of the same child!

And that's all I'm saying about this ...

for the moment.

11 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: S [Member]

I appreciate your efforts in looking into story sources beyond what is spoon-fed to us by mainstream media.

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 08:38

Comment from: S [Member]

...to clarify: as in mainstream American media, "soundbites," Internet chatter, etc.

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 08:40

Comment from: Jan Baker [Member]

· http://birthfamily-search.adoptionblogs.com/

It does seem ironic that Malawi's adoption laws are so strict when they have so many children available for adoption. That is a really interesting angle too about all the money wasted by the journalists.

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 08:58

Comment from: Adrienne Bashista [Member]

· http://russia.adoptionblogs.com/

It must have cost thousands of dollars to send the army of journalists to ask Yohane one question. Had the foreign journalists liaised with their Malawian counterparts and sent local journalists to Yohane the money saved could have been donated to the orphaned children.

This is a great counterpoint to all the people who've slammed Madonna (and international adoption) over the past few weeks, saying that instead of adopting a child we should have given that money to sponsor children there, or better yet, sponsor the women there who've had to give up their children due to poverty.
Thanks for sharing this.

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 09:39

Comment from: Michelle Vandepas [Member]

· http://fost-adopt.adoptionblogs.com/

yep, I liked that comment as well. thanks

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 13:04

Comment from: Jan Baker [Member]

· http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/

I don't say every adoptive parent should donate money instead of adopt. But Madonna? Knowing the child had a father who would parent him if he could afford to? Why the heck not? She even said she had alternative children picked out.

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 14:01

Comment from: claire [Member]

I had lunch with a friend today who has a bio child Ella's age, and is not involved in the adoption world, adoption websites, groups etc. She put it simply: "The little guy is better off I think. Isn't that what is important?"
Amen.
Lisa

Permalink 10/31/06 @ 19:00

Comment from: Sandra Hanks Benoiton [Member]

· http://international.adoptionblogs.com/

Jan,
Who says the father would parent if he could afford it? That's a big assumption to make.
And it's certainly not like Madonna isn't making contributions to the children of Malawi. $3 million isn't chump change.

Lisa,
Amen! Even though there are some people out there in the world who'd insist that life in an African orphange will always be a better choice than adoption. Of course, no one saying this actually lives in an African orphanage.

Permalink 11/01/06 @ 20:00

Comment from: Jan Baker [Member]

· http://birthfamily-search.adoptionblogs.com/

Sandra,

The father was quoted as saying that he hoped to reclaim his son when he remarried. I think M's contributions to the children of Malawi is admirable - always have.

Permalink 11/01/06 @ 23:07

Comment from: Sandra Hanks Benoiton [Member]

· http://international.adoptionblogs.com/

I think that poor man has been quoted as saying just about everything from, "less filling" to "tastes great."

Permalink 11/02/06 @ 05:20

Comment from: Heather [Member]

Sandra -
LOL on the "less filling, tastes great" comment.

Permalink 11/02/06 @ 10:43

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