In an upcoming interview with CBS’s The Early Show, 15 year old James Kambewa- the biological father of Mercy, the Malawian girl whom Madonna hopes to adopt- once again expresses his opposition to the adoption
“I want to take care of her and I’m capable to take care of my baby,” he says. “Mercy, she is a Malawian—so [I] need her to grow as a Malawian, as well with our culture.”
In the interview, Kambewa is wearing a necklace he made bearing his daughter’s name but says has never held or even met her in person. The little girl’s birth mother died shortly after childbirth.
Lucy Chekechiwa, Mercy’s maternal grandmother, says she, too, was initially opposed to the adoption but eventually gave in.
“I did not want my granddaughter to be adopted,” she says, “but because they have been persistent enough, I have been forced to let my granddaughter go.”
This reeks of opportunism. If his daughter was so important to him, why hasn’t he been a part of her life for the 3 years before now? I’m not claiming to be an expert on Malawian orphanages, but I’m betting that if the father of the chid at least wanted to hold his daughter, at some point in the past three years he could have accomplished that.
The way I understood it, from other news stories, was that Mercy’s father didn’t know she even existed. Apparently the mother either didn’t tell him she was pregnant or told him she had a miscarriage, so the first he heard of Mercy was when the big hoopla started about her adoption. I’m guessing he saw a picture or something- maybe she looks like him. Are you sure you got his age right? 15 years old now- means he would’ve been younger than 12 when she was conceived. Maybe you mean he was 15 when she was born?
That’s how I understood it as well. He and the mother were exceptionally young, she had the baby and died, and he didn’t know until the media storm that is Madonna descended. I don’t think a 15 year old boy is opportunistic, I think he wants to have the chance to raise his daughter. African cultures are hugely different than ours and I’m not sure calling him opportunistic is fair. Masculinity and what it means to be a man in African cultures is not the same as we see it here in the U.S.
Madonna was cool when it was the 1980’s and I was in elementary school. Now she’s just a sad pathetic (albeit very rich) woman clinging to fame.
you know, i know her arms are vein-ey, but honestly for a 50 year old woman she looks damn good. i hate to say it because her music sucks
Mad Props to Madonna, but perhaps she could find an orphan in her native Detroit to parent.
amen!
I agree. Is there some kind of rule that says that if you are a celebrity, and you wish to adopt, you need to go to a foreign country to get one?
Is there some sort of rule that says only “American” kids deserve to be adopted? Maybe she wanted her son David to have another sibling from his culture. I see nothing wrong with adopting overseas. Children in need are children in need.
I agree. The fact is, Madonna’s already planted some roots in Malawi and the positive fall-out of the “media storm that is Madonna” is that she is bringing attention to a struggling country. I had never even heard of Malawi until Madonna adopted David. Though I agree that it’s perplexing why more celebrities don’t just adopt from the US (see Sheryl Crow), I also don’t find there’s anything nefarious in what Angelina and Madonna are doing, especially if it puts the spotlight on plights of otherwise ignored countries.
If this young father wasn’t even aware he had a child, I do agree that he deserves a chance to be a part of Mercy’s life. If he has the means to look after her, he deserves that chance. There’s lots of babies for Madonna to adopt.
you had seriously never heard of Malawi before this??
sometimes i can kinda understand how these stereotypes about Americans start!
When looking for a specific job applicant, some countries have the premise.. if no qualified person *applies* in said country, you may import a qualified person to fill the job. Maybe this should apply to adoption. If there are no qualified *adoptable* babies in your home country, you may go to Malawi and buy one.
just sayin…
Actually, he hasn’t been around for 4 years; that’s how old Mercy is. He abandoned the mom when she told him she was pregnant, said, “he wasn’t ready for the responsibility”. Mom died in childbirth and he never inquired after the child, she sat in an orphanage till now. Also, I heard he was 24 now and the mom was 14 when Mercy was born (statutory rape?). Whatever it is, this guy is shady and unfit. I fervently hope Madonna is able to adopt the little girl, because she’ll have a much better life. Soldier on, Madonna!
And so the great white goddess, Madonna, once again decends upon the poor backward, African country of malawi to save yet another doomed child from a life of poverty. And for what? To be brought up within the wanton, grasping, self-absorbed lifestyle of the queen of materialism?
BINGO. If Madonna cared about orphans why would she have to fly half way around the world to find one? Like London and NewYork don’t have desperately poor children in need of homes? Madonna just doesn’t like Angelina getting all the publicity so she had to run off to the third world with the media in tow to get her narcissism fix.
It really difficult to get a baby from the US, just saying.
There are hundreds of couples trying to adopt but there are waiting lists and stuff. That’s why a lot of people make the decision to go out of the country. Not a lot of people want to adopt the older kids, and they get lost in the Legal system, that’s where she SHOULD be adopting from.
Honestly, if he wants to keep her then she can have a parent.
Why doesn’t Madonna adopt a child that has no one in their life?
It would be a lot more respectable.
Ding Ding Ding!!! you are right Robin! Why is she so obsessed with this kid! This kid has a fater, and other relatives!!!
Not that I disagree, but the kid is still in an orphanage despite this fact. Personally I’m more interested in the core issue of babies having babies…
the kid lives in an orphanage. The father has not even SEEN HER and the grandmother doesn’t have her either. Maybe if they don’t want their kin to be ADOPTED they shouldn’t make them live in an ORPHANAGE.
I think it’s greedy as hell to prefer that your poor daughter remains in an orphanage in lieu of being adopted into a family. What is it? They don’t want her, but they don’t want anyone else to have her?
I Agree with thatLisa. The whole adoption thing is wonderful, but i’m SO sick of Madonna! When is this bitch gonna retire out of the limelight?? Ugh.
what if they do want her in their lives but for whatever reasons couldn’t find a way to provide for her at that particular time, and so placed her in an orphanage until they had sorted things out/gotten more financially secure?
I really don’t know all that much about it, I’m just saying that placing a child in an orphanage doesn’t mean that you automatically disown her forever. It sounds as if her family were still in contact with her. And it’s understandable that they would prefer for her to remain in their own culture, than be taken miles away from them by some random white women with man arms.
Oooppsss I meant FATHER!
Madonna should ask herself, what is the best thing for Mercy? Perhaps it would be for Madonna to provide financial support for her family and allow Mercy to live with her family. Not as good a photo op, but would alleviate the poverty and allow the child to live in her culture with her family. Meanwhile, perhaps Madge could look into fostering an American kid there’s plenty locals whose circumstances would be improved by living in foster care.
> “This reeks of opportunism. ”
And what the rich white lady is doing isn’t opportunistic? Give me a break.
More anti-male bullshit. Is this website really populated by that many angry lesbians?
I’m gonna side with the Malawis on this one. Mercy may be poorer in her native country, but at least she won’t grow up having to drink kabbalah water, eating macrobiotic food, and watching her adoptive mother slutting it up with a 22 yr old Brazilian gigolo.
Reeks of opportunism? Madonna reeks of creepy foreign baby snatchism. Ha ha, I said snatch.