Madonna boy: Dad 'had no idea'
2006-10-22 17:20
Lipunga - The father of the
Malawian boy Madonna plans to adopt added a fresh twist to the
saga, saying he never intended his son to be adopted by the pop
diva, but only for her to raise the child on his behalf.
In an interview with Reuters Television in his home village
of Lipunga on Saturday, Yohane Banda said Madonna asked that she
be able to raise his one-year-old son on his behalf, rather than
that the child should become her own.
Banda's statement is a major shift from his earlier remarks
last week when he railed against human rights groups that have
gone to court to stop Madonna from adopting his son David.
"Had they told us that Madonna wanted to adopt my son and
make him her own son, we would not have agreed to that," Banda
said in his local language of Chichewa.
"It would have been better for him to continue staying at
the orphanage because I see no reason why my child should be
given away forever when I can feed him," he said, speaking at
his village of Lipunga near the Zambia border late on Saturday.
Madonna, 48, has angered rights groups with her plan to
adopt young David Banda, who left his native country on Tuesday
last week for the entertainer's home in London after she was
granted temporary adoption rights by Malawi authorities.
The High Court in Lilongwe will on Friday start hearing the
case lodged by the Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC),
an alliance of 67 human rights groups, which argues current
Malawi laws forbid international adoption, even by celebrities.
Can't read or write
Banda told Reuters he signed papers he could not understand,
but government officials assured him that the agreement was
similar to what he had with the orphanage - to nurture and
educate the boy but not take him away for good.
"I cannot read and write so I relied on what the
(government) officials told me that the papers said Madonna
would look after the child the way the orphanage planned to
educate him and then he comes back to me," Banda said.
Asked if he had any copies of the agreements he signed with
Madonna, Banda said: "I am still waiting to get my copies."
He said the copies were still in the hands of the government
officials who mediated the agreement.
Banda said he would wait
to see them before deciding what action to take after
consultations with his mother and other family members.
Neither government officials nor Madonna's spokesperson in
London were immediately available for comment.
Mother died of malaria
Banda said he gave the boy to the orphanage mainly for
medical care and breast-feeding after the boy's mother died of
malaria days after giving birth to him.
"We sent this child to an orphanage because at one month we
could not look after him, we did not have a health centre nearby
and the orphanage was the ideal place for him," he said.
The American singer hopes to make David a brother to her 10-year-old
daughter Lourdes and son, Rocco, who is six. She has denied
cutting corners to speed the adoption process.
David will stay abroad with Madonna for 18 months and be
monitored by Malawi officials before final approval can be given
for him to officially join her family.
Banda said people did not give him a chance to explain his
position better because the media was only interested in knowing
about David and Madonna.
"What we agreed with Madonna was that she looks after my
child until he finishes school, becomes independent and comes
back home to us," Banda said.