Everyone knows that Madonna is back in Malawi in hopes of adopting a little girl named Mercy. Unlike her three-year-old son David (whose biological father is still alive), Mercy actually is an orphan. Her 18-year-old mother died a few days after giving birth and her father is unknown. But she does have relatives, including a grandmother, Lucy Chekechiwa, who has in some reports has accused Madonna of trying to steal her granddaughter. Children’s organization Save The Children agrees, accusing Madonna of activity verging on a “puppy parade”—basically she’s looking for the cutest child to add to her family. But just like Yohane Banda, David’s dad, who famously flip-flopped on whether he agreed that his son should be adopted or not, Mercy’s family is now supposedly on board with Madonna taking little Mercy wherever she likes. Rumor is that the family buckled in to pressure by both the orphanage and Madonna’s charitable organization.

The courts, however, are saying not so fast. The Associated Press reports that the decision as to whether Madonna can leave the country with Mercy has been pushed back to Friday. Apparently it can take up to two years an Malawian adoption to be finalized but if things go in her favor she’ll be leaving the country with Mercy before the end of the week. 

If little Mercy’s family has any high hopes that they’ll stay connected to her, they may want to think again. Yohane Banda was shocked when he had a visit with his son yesterday and the little boy asked through an intrepreter, “who are you?” And get this “why are you poor?”

But is Madonna giving these children a “better” life or just a “different”, more privileged one? And will taking them away from their culture help or hurt them in the long run? One thing is for sure, Madonna is helping to fuel a movement  wherein poor African families across the country are sacrificing their children sometimes for money (others for the opportunity). And in some ways coming dangerously close to becoming a new fangled kind of slavery (albeit with benefits). 

And as black folks, how do we feel as we watch this “black child as accessory” phenomenon unfold?  I am curious to see what happens when a different continent or country becomes the go-to place? Truthfully, it is a little hard to be too critical (in the most practical sense). Not enough of us are stepping up to take in our own children, many of whom are fated to stay in “the system”. Nor are we rescuing enough children from orphanages in Haiti and countless African countries. So it is hard to fault those who have made the decision to help. But the way Madonna operates wreaks of bullying at the highest levels. Making poor families  feel like they don’t have a choice  when celebrities come a calling is simply not fair. There has got to be a better way to help.

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