Madonna speaks out on her struggle to adopt Mercy James
American pop star Madonna on Tuesday spoke for the first time the struggle she faced to adopt her second Malawian child, Mercy James.
The emotional Madonna told President Peter Mutharika and other guests during the opening of her Mercy James Padeatric Hospital in Blantyre that a judge put spanners to the adoption process.
She said it took almost three years before the court allowed her to adopt Mercy as the songstress criticised Malawi’s slow pace of law reform, saying it nearly prevented her from adopting Mercy James.
“It was not an easy battle,” said Madonna as her voice cracked with emotion as she stood near her daughter.
“The judge refused me because I was recently divorced. We hired lawyers, went to the Supreme Court. But I never gave up, I never backed down,” added the 58-year-old, who previously stirred anger among some Malawians as they felt the government allowed her to skirt laws that ban non-residents from adopting.
“I fought for Mercy and won. We fought for this hospital and won. Love conquers all.”
She said the laws of Malawi makes it very difficult for single mothers to adopt children.
“But I never gave up, I was determined to adopt her,” she said.
Like Mercy, she has also adopted son David Banda, 11, and recently welcomed four-year-old twins Estere and Stella after adopting them from an orphanage in Malawi, where she has been a regular visitor for many years
David Banda and Mercy James spoke at the function, praising their mother Madonna as very loving and caring.
Madonna then danced to a local song with Malawi’s first lady Gertrude Mutharika while David Banda performed with dancers from the Jacaranda School for Orphans.
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