The Standpoint

Mercy drops fall over Madonna

By

Karan Deep Singh

After a long battle to adopt a second child from the southern African state of Malawi, Madonna has won her appeal to adopt orphan Mercy James, four.

The singer was reportedly “devastated” and in “utter shock” when the high court judge Esmie Chombo, in April ruled against Madonna as she did not satisfy a law according to which prospective parents must be resident in Malawi for 18 to 24 months before adopting. Lawyers for pop star had returned to a Malawian Court to appeal against a ruling denying her request to adopt the child. The appeals court had announced that the star’s commitment to helping disadvantaged children had not been considered.

The Queen of Pop has found a charity, Raising Malawi, which helps feed, educate and provide medical care for some of Malawi's one million-plus orphans. Madonna is reported to have donated £12million to the African state to fund orphan aid projects. The money has been spent to fund six orphanages as well as paying for shoes, clothes, books and mosquito nets. The Supreme Court of Appeal said that a lower court failed to take modern realities into account in initially rejecting Madonna's application to adopt 3-year-old Chifundo - whose Malawian name translates to ‘Mercy’ - James.

Madonna received a phone call from her lawyer at 3am in New York when she learned the news. In a statement through her spokesperson Madonna said: ‘I am extremely grateful for the Supreme Court's ruling on my application to adopt Mercy James. I am ecstatic....My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her’.

However another side of the story had appeared when a man named James Kambewa, claimed paternity of the four-year-old girl. 'I won't give up the fight,' he said. ‘I wrote to the court challenging the adoption because I am ready and willing to take care of my child,' said Mr Kambewa. With most Malawians welcoming the court’s decision to allow Madonna to adopt Mercy, it seems James’s is the lone voice opposing the adoption. ‘I am happy for her and the world should ignore the so-called father. We have lots of fathers but very few parents’ said Michael Jonas, a curio seller in Blantyre.

Chifundo’s uncle, Peter Baneti, said ‘We, as a family, have been anxiously awaiting this ruling. We are very happy for Chifundo’. Mercy's teenage mother had died of child-birth complications a few days after giving birth. Mr. Baneti added: ‘We don't know this James boy. He was not there when my sister was pregnant; he didn't attend her funeral. How can he just come out to claim the baby? Does he want to steal my niece?’

While Madonna was already preparing to create a perfect home for her children by splashing out an estimated £27 million on a New York townhouse facing the Central Park, her lawyers are ‘waiting for instructions to start preparing for Mercy’s travel arrangements.’ It seems the day has come when the four year old will be joined by her siblings Lourdes, twelve, Rocco, eight and her Malawian brother, David, three in their new mansion, just a gift from the million dollar mommy!