Madonna and Mercy: What Really Happened, 8pm, Channel 4

Posted by Jane Murphy

 

If ever two people were less destined to meet, it’s Madonna and Mercy James. At least, that’s according to presenter Jacques Peretti who travelled to Malawi in an attempt to uncover the truth behind the recent adoption saga.

So on the one hand, we have the 50-year-old Queen of Pop - a “single mum from New York”, who co-founded the Raising Malawi charity with Kabbalah leader Philippe van den Bossche. And on the other, we have a four-year-old “orphan” who’s been offered a “better” life overseas. Except, of course, Mercy isn’t really an orphan because her father is still alive - but who cares about technicalities like that when the most famous woman in the world bowls up with wads of cash and a maternal glint in her eye?

Last night’s documentary made for uncomfortable - and often confusing - viewing. And, as is so often the case with this kind of programme, it posed more questions than it answered. Is Madonna saving Mercy from poverty or depriving her of her culture and country? Was her adoption an act of charity or immoral and wrong? And what’s Kabbalah got to do with it all?

Peretti seemed keen to press home his theory that the whole thing smacks of white colonialism: just as 19th-century Christian missionaries headed into Africa armed with Bibles, Madonna and the gang are setting up children’s centres in Malawi that promote their “loony religion”.

But when the cameras were allowed inside Mercy’s former home - the Kundanani Orphanage - Peretti found it nigh-on impossible to find fault with the set-up. Madonna has pumped $12m (£7.2m) of her own money into Malawi - and if that means hundreds of otherwise poverty-stricken children are getting a high standard of care and education, what’s the problem?

Of course, Mercy is now safely ensconced in Madonna’s world - so only time will tell how life pans out for her and whether she thinks her new mum was right to adopt her. Is a life being hounded by the paparazzi better than one spent in a remote village in Africa? I’m not sure I could answer that - could you?

Pictures: Rex Features

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Celebrity gossip: Mercy gets a taste of luxury >>
Judges have Mercy on Madonna >>
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Comments

[Kalungi]

How many of you have done anything to better the lives of Africans? If Madonna had gone in as a Catholic would that be more acceptable? If Mercy's grandmother is alive what's the child doing in an orphanage, we were brought up by our grandparents and never set foot in an orphanage. I think Madonna is doing alot of good and we should give her credit

[clare]

is it me or does madonna seem like a spoilt child in a sweet shop i want that one and that one and when she cant get she throws a tantrum (or money in her case)until the nice man gives her the child so totally wrong

[Kiran]

If she really wanted to help these children, she would make their world a better place, not remove them from their home, and in Mercy's case, her family. Her estranged father may not have been there for her, but she does have a grandmother who loves her and wanted to care for her. A child is always better off with their family, in whatever shape or form that comes in.

[Helen]

Lets face it these celebs with more money than sense don't adopt children they buy them. Ok they chuck money at charities but is it to support them or for an alterior motive to make them look good and use as a sweetner to get what they want. If they genuinly want to adopt why does it always have to be from abroad, there are plenty of needy children from their own culture and country desperate for good homes. These African children have family who want to keep them, the only reason they can't is poverty, so why don't these celebs give money to these families instead of taking their children away.

[Donna]

I agree with what jade says that adoption should be just in your own country,i would love to adopt,i do have a son which i was blessed with,but now having not been able to conceive with medical problems since then and being 52 years of age i'm now to old and she is no spring chicken,to take a child from there culture and native place i think is so wrong and should not have happened in the first place,who will be looking after it not madonna i expect has she will have a nanny to do all that for her with all the money she has,i'd give my right arm to have had another child to love and care for it,all this boils down to is money and wealth which everyone don't have,i have totaly lost respect for her now,it makes me so angry has her grandmother over there wanted to adopt her and could not till she was 4 or 5,it is so so wrong,has she no feeling for her and the rest of that poor childs family being left behind or she would not have fought for her,how would she feel if it was her child!!

[JKW]

I think the documentary raises 3 main points
1) What Madonna is doing for the orphans of the country ( which is amazing)
2) The way she is going about it ( which is a little more dubious or at least in need of further
investigation)
3) The continuing influence of Money and Power over peoples lives …. As long as Madonna’s
intensions are good there isn’t really a problem, the problem only comes when grey areas are
tackled by pops very own jaggunaurt ( will she seek democratic council or will she
push on to fulfill her goal ( however honorable it may be) at the expense of others just because
she can and believes it is the right thing to do?

I’m not suggesting she will. I simply don’t know. If you take her lyrics ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions, yeah’ It’s reassuring to know that she is at least aware of the possibility of doing harm by trying to do good, And as they say knowledge is power.

The problem isn’t really Madonna – She is at least trying to do something positive with her money and influence and in a world of politics and time-honored ways of doing things she’s going to have to get into bed with some ogersome sharks if she wants to change things … It’s not going to be easy and I only hope she’s able to out-navigate the political waters in the same way she’s out-swam the music-industry sharks … Only time will tell

But rather than chastising her I think people should engage in critical discussions about how to manage ‘change for the better’ in an unfair, politically-riddled reality rather than in a utopia that doesn’t exist

Maybe instead of being pre-occupied with celebrities who emerge knickerless society should put on it’s ‘thinking cap’ and try and figure out how we can all contribute and work together to making the world a better place

[Norma.]

Well said Idris.

My concern with celebrity's adopting children from other cultures is that they do nothing to ensure that those children retain a sense of there own culture.

I am sorry to say but sometime I do feel that they treat having an ethnic child like having the latest handbag hanging of there arm. All ready the child Madonna adopted previously is losing his native language.

Yes she has done a lot for the country and helping other children out there but does that mean she gets to keep one or two for herself!! Can these celebrities not be happy with helping these children in there own countrys without feeling they have a right to adopt one if the fancy takes them.

[Jade]

im not sure if other people have the same view as me, but i some how think that adoption should happen in your on country as there are so many out there! or i could be wrong!

[Idris]

Sadly, being a proud “African” myself, one thing I find disturbing is the self-denial, defensiveness, self-destruction, mental and emotional weakness and sheer human stupidity of a lot of people from African Decent.

To hopefully, bring this point home and make understanding clearer, let me give a true life incident.

The year was 1989 in an International Relations Masters degree classroom at Webster University in Leiden. The lecturer in class while addressing the Rise and Fall of Europe made a statement that till this very day has remained firmly embedded in my mind (however, judging from the behaviour of other African class participants, the same sadly, cannot be said of the other three African originated students in that same very lecture) the statement was...
I quote "....America was able to persuade Europe to give up its colonies, that they did not have to "slave" them "Physically" as they could more effectively do that "economically"..."

Personally, I left that class in a rage, but when I addressed the arrogance of the lecturer disregarding our presence in that class and including that part in his lecture with the other three directly "African" originated African students in that same class...they preferred to "bury their heads in the sand" and "pretend" like they never heard what had been said. Sadly, a very “common” reaction amongst most Africans.

The truth of the matter is, until when Africans can summon the courage to overcome their present emotional and mental weak state that compels them to constantly go into self-denial we as a people worldwide shall always be self-destructive.

My point is simple; the factor of "shame" or "self-denial" should not dominate our thought process. We need to start facing "Truth" no matter how it may seemingly hurt. Only then can we move to the position of seeking solutions.

You cannot address a problem if you self-amputate yourself and bury your head in the sand to that problem when you should be facing that problem seeking amicable solutions.

Economic slavery is real! look around you, are all of you blind? even read your "own" comments on this whiteboard! You are subject to the same "dilemma" of "faulting" what “seems” compassion that Mr Jacques Peretti faced when he was in that alleged "foster home"....no offence meant, but, are you all truly that blind and self-destructively amputating?

This documentary may touch on your nerves of defensiveness but why blame Mr Jacques Peretti for doing a job Africans "should" have done in the first place. I agree he is also a beneficiary from the system of economic domination in other ways, but that does not mean we as Africans should use "defensiveness" and "constant denial" as our only means of combating OUR economic situation.

The old ways of thought and self-destruction NEVER worked, is it not time to face our fears as at this rate "economic slavery will be in full effect" faster than we will realise it and it will be more largely due to our own ignorance, sheer human stupidity, lack of cooperation, self-hate and constant dislike for each other...all things that are by products of "economic slavery".

The word “economic SLAVERY” may sound harsh, but it’s the impact that bothers me NOT the words.

Economic manipulation stifles cooperation, team work, self love, self worth, dignity, pride in ones very existence, it destroys effective communication, it even stifles one’s ability to even communicate or see oneself as “peers” or “equals” with others not suffering the same economic fate, it further encourages the breakdown of self and community-development, the breakdown of “family integration” and even the breakdown of self appreciation and it leads to corruption, manipulation, ignorance, stupor, and all negative vices too numerous to point out here but all the very things that we see daily that has led to the mind accepting “handouts” as the only “solution” to a problem that dominates Africans. In fact, we even have forgotten that “money” has nothing to do with the creator that it is a “man-invented” and controlled thing.

That’s how low our present thinking has stooped to.

African originated people (and that includes those of you who try to disassociate yourself by tags such as "black British", Afro-this or “Afro that" etc) it’s time to start thinking of the future generations what quality of life are you leaving behind for them?
Like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes once said in a song...WAKE UP EVERYBODY.

In fairness to the documentary it should serve as a pointer for objectivity to prevail on how best to tackle the prevalent African economic problems constructively.

So those of you Africans placing senseless “defensive/self-denial” commentary, although I may understand your rationale for doing so, but its best we start facing reality and start addressing our problem by first trying to “understand” what “economic domination” involves and its wider and subtle impact. Spend your energy researching its impact and its operational mode, maybe then when you have a better understanding of it you will see this documentary in its wider context.

“Madonna” as a person is NOT the real problem...Economic Manipulation is the real issue. Learn it, understand it (and if you have had the fortune of going to University show it by applying your learnt research analysis skills to the understanding process) then and only then make commentary.

May Inner Peace be With You All
Peace
Idris

[Jo]

I question the motives of celebrities who adopt children from abroad. Yes they are giving them a better standard of living but are they getting the love they require? Will they be raised any differently from how they would be raised in Africa? I suspect not - the child's care will still be carried out by hired help. More importantly will they still have access to their culture etc? Again I suspect not. These children will grow up and eventually go looking for their roots. I strongly suspect that in adopting these children these celebrities are in actual fact meeting their own emotional needs. If they really want to help then it would be better to pour vast amounts of money into the orphanages and local projects and offer assistance in that way.

[Nikki]

When she was first refused adoption of Mercy I knew it wouldnt be long before she won an appeal, it was obvious.

I think it is sad really, I think by the law her own grandmother was unable to adopt her until she was 4 or 5? a little while longer and that could of been made possible.

[Suzanna]

Whatever Madonna's motives might be for adopting Mercy (and previously David), I would have a lot more sympathy for her if I could be sure that she was actually going to bring up the children herself. As it is, I have an uneasy feeling that all the real hard work of childrearing is going to be delegated to a team of full-time nannies.

[Alfred]

What is the prospect of an average malawian? I believe that Madonna is to be applauded for adopting a child who most probably would have spent her life in poverty. The caring family appeared prominently on the scene when Madonna was about to adopt this child. Where were they when the mother died?

[keith]

as they say money talks no matter what is in the childs best intrest to allow a 50 yr old single person such as modonna adopt a youg child she be a pensioner befor the child leaves school ok she has money to pay a nanny but she is the adopted mother and will hardly be there to care for her as she will carry on touring ect and her going out.
A parent should be there everyday as a child grows up not to splash money around and pay other to care for the children they are not there to be trophy's and say look at me I got this poor child from africa and giving her this wonderful life but no love

[Natalie]

She thinks she can buy everything but when it comes to actually buying a child and taking her away from her real father is disgusting. My respect for madonna has really fell over the years.

[marlene]

Call me cynical but where money talks justice walks and has always been the way.
The problem is not Madonna it is the Judges and their so-called justice system. As one solicitor boasted, the judge will always believe the solicitor over the layman.