News

KEYS: Africa needs you

R‘n’B diva Alicia Keys has praised Madonna and Angelina Jolie for adopting African children...

R‘n’B diva Alicia Keys has praised Madonna and Angelina Jolie for adopting African children and for ploughing thousands of dollars back into poor African communities.

The 25-year-old singer says criticism of A-list celebrities who are turning their attention to help Africa is “unfair and a disservice to those who need their help.”

HORRIBLE

She said: “I think it’s horrible, and I think it really degrades and tries to discourage people who do have a voice, who do have power, who do have money, who have the ability to reach out to people and get involved in situations.”

Keys has been involved in African causes for years and says some celebrities have been at the helm of humanitarian causes in support of Africa.

But the motivation of celebrity couples who adopt from abroad has been unfairly called into question by the press, she said.

Last year Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt adopted an Ethiopian girl, Zahara, and then had their own biological child in Namibia earlier this year. The mainstream media’s response has been mostly negative and suggested that their motivation has been self-publicity, said Keys.

A similar debate was ignited earlier this year when fame-hungry pop star Madonna appeared to flout local African laws to rush through an adoption for a one-year-old Malawian boy, David Banda.

In October Madonna managed to whip-up a furore over the issue of international adoptions, prompting media pundits to criticise the apparent new trend.

But Maxine Caswell, a spokesperson for OASIS (Overseas Adoption Support and Information Service), branded celebrity adoptions as far from a normal adoption experience.

“It’s made to look as though you can swoop into a country and take any child. The process is actually extremely long and vigorous,” she said.

But Keys believes that Jolie, Pitt and Madonna are simply following in the footsteps of more seasoned Hollywood stars, like actress Mia Farrow, a mother of 14 children, who first adopted a child in 1973.

DIMINISHED

Keys said: “I think if you make a choice to do something positive, that shouldn’t be diminished. I think that takes away from what’s actually going on.”

Keys said these celebrities had managed to drum up unprecedented worldwide attention for the continent which, in turn, has helped many African nations.

She said that Madonna has pledged to help fund a day-centre to feed and educate orphans in Aids-ravaged Malawi. “I do think that it has [registered] more on people’s radars, whereas before it kind of came across as, ‘Oh, it’s so far away’,” she said.

“It’s really positive to know that it is a global community,” Keys added.

In November Keys hosted a concert in New York with supermodel Iman for Keep a Child Alive, a charity that provides drugs for people living with HIV/Aids in Africa.

Published: 06 December 2006
Issue: 1247

site comments powered by Disqus