I am so sick and tired of North American celebrities running over to Africa and/or Asia looking for poor, orphaned and disadvantaged children to take home with them. As if Africa didn't already have enough major crises on its hands (i.e. the theft its natural resources, wars and wide spread corruption and poverty), it has to contend this latest wave of 'benevolent' colonialism. Maybe I'm being really cynical about this, but I see this more as a Hollywood trend than an earnest way of help an ailing continent. They have the Christian Louboutin pumps and the latest Bentley Continental GT, why not top the look off with a chubby African baby. 'We've gotta take you out of this dump so we take you to a more civilized and rich culture, like ours! The Western way is the better way!' Why do I feel this way, you ask? Well, first of all, why aren't these celebrities adopting poor disadvantaged children in their own countries? Lord knows there are many. My suspicion is that a local adoption is less sexy or exotic than a foreign one. If my hunch is right, this makes the whole African adoption bonanza all the more disgusting.
Secondly, why don't these celebrities take their wealth, fame and limitless resources and pour it into investing in African infrastructure, the defence of human rights, capacity building, sustainable living initiatives and/or simply lobbying the government and speaking truth to power? To me, this would be a far more effective method of improving the lives of African children and their parents in the long run. People like Bono (although he's become more self-serving than helpful), George Clooney or Sir Bob Geldof didn't adopt any kids, but they are doing their best to speak truth to power. Oprah, although I am not a fan, had the right idea by creating and building a school that would cater to young girls in South Africa. Can you imagine if every celebrity and/or wealthy citizen for that matter, were to do the same? Africa would be on its way! Adoption on a broad scale is nothing more than a Band-Aid.
I guess what put me over the edge with this topic was the headline that Madonna is about to adopt yet another sucker/child from Malawi. She didn't get enough after bamboozling her last adoptive child's biological father into selling his own flesh and blood, so she's going back for more. Now, I'm not judging Madonna's lifestyle- she's a grown woman, but would she or Angelina Jolie while we're at it, ever have been able to adopt if they had the same lifestyle and were making $34,000 annually and working at a Ford plant? Puh-leez! Stop, freeze and put the black boy down!
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