Madonna has adopted my son, says Malawian father
Malawian Government officials said last week the pop star planned to adopt a Malawian boy while she was in the impoverished African nation visiting projects she funds for AIDS orphans.
But they declined to comment on Yohame Banda’s claim that his son David had been adopted by the singer.
Madonna has made no public comment since her arrival and her publicist Liz Rosenberg was unable to confirm the claims. An official statement is expected in the next couple of days.
Mr Banda, 32, told the Associated Press: “I am the father of David, who has been adopted.
“I am very happy because as you can see there is poverty in this village and I know he will be very well looked after in America.”
He said his wife Marita died from childbirth complications, and the child had been cared for at the Home of Hope Orphan Care Centre in Mchinji, a village near the Zambian border.
He told how his son left the orphanage on Monday and was taken to the capital, Lilongwe, where Madonna and her entourage were staying in an upscale ranch.
Madonna has visited the orphanage at least once during her visit.
She arrived in Malawi earlier this month to visit her Raising Malawi project, which is setting up an orphan care centre to provide food, education and shelter for up to 4,000 children.
Mr Banda said he had been told that the boy would make regular visits to Malawi. “He will know his roots,” he said.
Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world, with rampant disease and hunger, aggravated by droughts and crop failure.
In an open letter to Madonna, the private Malawian child advocacy group, Eye of the Child, welcomed her concern for Malawian children, but questioned whether foreign adoptions were in the best interests of children.
