In den letzten Monaten hat sich Madonna, die als Ersatz-Bono humanitär in Afrika wirken möchte, mit der Regierung von Malawi im Rahmen eines fehlgeschlagenen Charity-Projektes zur Errichtung von Schulen überworfen.

Daraufhin hat die Regierung von Malawi Madonna bei ihrer Einreise wie einen normalen Menschen behandelt und nicht im VIP-Service durch die Sicherheitskontrollen gewunken, worüber Madonna sich bitter beklagt hat.

Das wiederum hat die malawische Regierung nun zur folgenden, sehr lesenswerten Pressemitteilung getrieben:

“Claims and misgivings have been expressed by Pop Star, Madonna and her agents, against the Malawi Government and its leadership for not giving her the attention and courtesy that she thinks she merits and deserves during her recent trip to Malawi.

According to the claims, Madonna feels that the Malawi Government and its leadership should have abandoned everything and attended to her because she believes she is a music star turned benefactor who is doing Malawi good.

Besides, in the feeling of Madonna, the Malawi Government and its leadership should have rolled out a red carpet and blast the 21-gun salute in her honour because she believes that as a musician, the whiff of whose repute flies across international boundaries, she automatically is candidate for VVIP treatment. (…)





State House has followed the debate incidental to these claims with keen interest, and would wish to respond as follows to put the record straight: (…)

Granted, Madonna has adopted two children from Malawi. According to the record, this gesture was humanitarian and of her accord. It, therefore, comes across as strange and depressing that for a humanitarian act, prompted only by her, Madonna wants Malawi to be forever chained to the obligation of gratitude. Kindness, as far as its ordinary meaning is concerned, is free and anonymous. If it can’t be free and silent, it is not kindness; it is something else. Blackmail is the closest it becomes.

Granted, Madonna is a famed international musician. But that does not impose an injunction of obligation on any government under whose territory Madonna finds herself, including Malawi, to give her state treatment. As stated earlier in this statement, such treatment, even if she deserved it, is discretionary not obligatory. (…)

If the argument is that because she is an internationally renowned star, and, therefore, Madonna believes she deserved to be treated differently from other visiting foreigners, it is worth making her aware that Malawi has hosted many international stars, including Chuck Norris, Bono, David James, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville (*) who have never demanded state attention or decorum despite their equally dazzling stature.

Among the many things that Madonna needs to learn as a matter of urgency is the decency of telling the truth. For her to tell the whole world that she is building schools in Malawi when she has actually only contributed to the construction of classrooms is not compatible with manners of someone who thinks she deserves to be revered with state grandeur. The difference between a school and a class room should be the most obvious thing for a person demanding state courtesy to decipher.”

(*) Anmerkung: Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville und David James sind ehemalige britische Fußballnationalspieler. Der frühere Liverpool-Keeper James hat dank seiner bemerkenswerten Torwartfehler einst den Spitznamen “Calamity James” verliehen bekommen. Es dürfte wohl keine schönere Aufzählung von Prominenten in diesem Jahr mehr geben als einen Madonna-Vergleich, der mit Chuck Norris beginnt, mit David James endet und dabei Madonna “equally dazzling stature” zubilligt. Pures Gold.


(via The Guardian)

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