Posted on 10/12/2006 11:29:04 PM PDT by MadIvan
A boy from an isolated village in Malawi's rugged bush was handed into the care of Madonna yesterday when a judge approved the pop star's adoption papers.
David Banda was born in a mud hut 18 months ago. His mother, Marita, gave birth without a nurse or medical equipment, save for a plastic sheet. She died days later.
The High Court in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, plucked David from his home village of Lipunga, where children in rags play in the dust beside women pounding maize, and gave him a symbol of Western popular culture for a foster mother.
Mr Justice Andrew Nyirenda granted Madonna an "interim order" allowing her to take the boy into custody. Today David is expected to leave Malawi with Madonna and her husband, the British film director Guy Ritchie, for London where he will start a life with her other children, Lourdes, nine, and Rocco, six.
Madonna and Ritchie recently admitted having had marital problems and insiders have speculated that an addition to the family will give their rocky relationship a fresh start.
David's father, Yohame Banda, 32, met his son's prospective foster parents during the court proceedings. Afterwards, he told journalists that he was "happy" that David would escape Malawi's grinding poverty.
Mr Banda added that he knew little about the boy's foster mother. "I'm not aware of Madonna. I don't know her. All I know is that she'll give my son a better life," he said. Mr Banda spoke at his home Lipunga, 120 miles west of Lilongwe. The border with Zambia runs along a range of hills behind his village and its people walk into the neighbouring country at will. While Mr Banda is a Malawian, David was born in Zambia to a Zambian mother.
Mr Banda, who was abandoned by his own father as a boy, was raised by Lipunga's chief, Henderson Geza.
"A few days after giving birth, David's mother died," said Mr Geza, 69. "Because of our poverty, we were unable to support the child. So we decided to send him to an orphanage."
David entered Home of Hope orphanage, about 40 miles from Lipunga. Madonna arrived in Malawi last Wednesday to help charities serving children who lost their parents to Aids. She visited this orphanage last week.
A teacher at Home of Hope said Madonna met David last Friday. "She was carrying the baby. She was smiling and she was saying 'ah, beautiful'," he said.
Then Mr Banda was informed that an "American woman" would like to adopt his son. Mr Geza said: "He said, 'I gave my son to the orphanage because I could not take care of him, so I would like him to be adopted'. I said, 'If that is what you want then, as your chief and as your stepfather, I give you my permission'."
Mr Banda told the chief that she was a "respectable American lady". Madonna's name was unknown to them.
"We were very happy," said Mr Geza. "We read the Bible and we thought 'this is coming from God'."
Yet for almost 40 years, Malawian law has banned foreigners from adopting children. Section Three of the Children Adoption Act states that an "adoption order shall not be made" in favour of anyone residing outside the country.
In 1993, however, Malawi signed the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. This says under article 21 that "inter-country adoption may be considered".
The government has agreed in principle to amend the Adoption Act and bring it into line with the convention. In its ruling yesterday, the High Court appeared to give the convention precedence over Malawian law.
But the people of Lipunga care little for legal niceties and wish David well.
"Here we are poor and we don't have enough food," said his cousin, Alex Phiri, 17. "Now David can make a bright future."
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
These celebs are starting to adopt African babies like they're the new Paris Hilton-style handbag chihuahuas. I'm all for adoption, but this seems like more of a fad than an act of love.
um...i was just thinking...from a mud hut to a child of a sl..well...you know. she is pig.
Hardly.
I feel bad for that mud hut baby. I bet Madonna is an icky mom.
If the state were truly compassionate, it would return the mud hut baby to its mud hut. Nothing could be worse than being Madonna's kid.
She is pretty odd. Money is nice, but I would not like to be raised in a home like that.
"I feel bad for that mud hut baby. I bet Madonna is an icky mom."
Don't feel bad. He will be taken care of 99% of the time by the nanny. Besides it could have been worse -- he could have been adopted by Michael Jackson.
lol true. *shudder*
There's also this little matter that Mr. Madonna aka film-maker Guy Ritchie, is against this stunt.
He'll fit right in with the rest of the family.
I wonder what those kids are thinking?
It is the latest must have Hollywood accessory as Rush said the other day. (Not meant to offend , but just an astute observation on his part)
I don't.
Suit yourself. To me it indicates how the Hollywood folk are treating these kids like they're Cabbage Patch dolls.
Regards, Ivan
I don't see them adopting American disabled babies.
That would be nice.
So this lil guy is going to go from eating maize to eating tofu.
God Bless the lil bambino.
I hope Maddonna comes back to her Catholic Faith someday.
Yep.
I liked this part, too...
"We read the Bible and we thought 'this is coming from God'."
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