Madonna puts Malawi on the map

Malawi has been in the news this week because Madonna (yes, the Material Girl herself) is visiting. Here is the latest CNN story about her trip. Her primary aim seems to be setting up an orphanage for 4000 kids near Lilongwe under the auspices of Raising Malawi. Kabbalah apparently will be part of the curriculum (not much of a surprise). There’s even a rumor that Madonna and Guy plan to adopt a Malawian orphan, though at this point there doesn’t seem to be any hard information to either confirm or refute that claim.

As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, my opinion on all of this may or may not interest anybody. Still reading? OK… I think it’s great! Sure, I have the usual doubts about Madonna’s intentions, but I think the good far outweighs any potentially negative aspects of this for two main reasons…

First, by all accounts, Malawi has a sobering number of orphans with more added to the ranks every day as a result of the AIDS epidemic and other problems. More assistance with the orphan issue is desperately needed. If Madonna wants to build orphanages, I think that’s great. Addressing the root causes of the orphan problem would be better, but the needs of the orphans themselves definitely need to be met.

Second, this is drawing much-needed attention to Malawi as a country. CNN is already covering the story and I wouldn’t be surprised if those silly entertainment shows send reporters to Lilongwe to follow her trip. Malawi might even make the cover of National Enquirer. Considering how most people in the U.S. have never even heard of Malawi, this kind of exposure is priceless as far as raising awareness of what is going on there. It is a wonderful country to visit, the people are incredibly warm and generous, and it will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully, all this brouhaha will make Malawi a topic of conversation around water coolers and dinner tables everywhere. Hey, people now know where Namibia is, right?

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October 6, 2006 | Filed Under Africa 

Comments

One Response to “Madonna puts Malawi on the map”

  1. Kimberlee West (Talbot) on March 6th, 2007 8:24 pm

    Interesting perspective, Pat. I was disgusted by Madonna’s self-righteous publicity stunt of adopting a Malawian “orphan” (who really does still have a father- for whatever that’s worth). But all-in-all, it did bring Malawi into the site of more people and she is committing a bunch of cash to Malawi for orphanages. Not all bad, despite the horrible taste the scene leaves in my mouth.

    BTW: It’s good to read your web-postings and I’m glad to see that you’re doing well. Ryan and I recount PC stories all the time. I’ll keep reading your on-line updates, and we’ll keep laughing at old stories. :)