Madonna during a visit in Malawi
Via AFP
“The district commissioner for Lilongwe told the villagers to move off the land and (make) way for the construction of the academy because it was government land reserved for development projects,” an official from the commissioner’s office told AFP by telephone.
The official, who did not want to be named, said district commissioner Charles Kalemba told the nearly 200 villagers that they were lucky to have been “compensated for the houses, gardens and fruit trees.”
Kalemba, accompanied by officials from the government department of lands and Madonna’s charity Raising Malawi, visited the site on the outskirts of the administrative capital Lilongwe on Wednesday.
The villagers had threatened to block the project unless they got more cash after being paid 500,000 dollars in compensation by Madonna’s charity.
Malawian officials said on Thursday that they have moved scores of villagers from land where US pop diva Madonna plans to build a girls academy. Continue Reading…
Not only does superstar Madonna fly in to Malawi and swoop up children like she’s the child catcher from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, she’s also now forcing villagers out of their homes so she can build a school, which she will probably name after herself.
Caring Madge seems to be making some old skool British empire moves here….
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MAD NEWS UK 
I blame the Malawian Government. They signed the deal and offered the land. They are responsible.
So do I. They have let Madonna’s celebrity blind them.
But I’m sure Madonna knew that people were living on the land so she’s just as bad.
I am assuming that since this is gov’t land for development, the gov’t chose it, asked her to compensate them after they had decided that that is where they wanted the project to take place and speaking to the people about relocation and compensation. There must have been another land. Why did the gov’t choose that with people? They have the power and say in this, which they cannot be bothered to use.
Hmmmm true.
The situation just leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
“Give it to me…yeah. No one’s gonna stop me…No”. It just seemed appropriate.
Indeed
So they can tell her it costs ‘such and such amount’ to relocate the villagers (lying about how they will be able to provide better housing for them with her resources / funding etc) and then cultivate the land, and then build the school upon it, (and that spot is the best it’s a prime location, *convincing her*)
when in actual fact, it will not cost no where near what they say to relocate the people, and they won’t have better housing, what am I saying, ‘Housing’ – ‘Living Conditions’…
all in all it’s about making a small impact for there people (the school is a good thing) and a large impact for thier pockets (this won’t change, the corruption I mean), (imo)
Co sign. Lol
I dont see anyone else running to build a tent in Malawi never mind a school and Madonna has done an excellent job of exploiting that. It disgust me that a people can be openly exploited like this (for help) in this day n age – kmt. I cant stand the woman EVEN more!
I wonder if Oprah had the same experience.
What’s going on in Malawi happens in every third world country, some hot turn up flashing money and the authorities let them do as they please claiming that it’s for the community benefit but the only people who benefit from it, is the corrupted officials, who get their cut to look the other way.
@B princess, true. It is the image that they have sold them through media and politics. The image of rich, educated, honesty and inventive, and the opposite is true 4 developing countries. The effects are innevitable both ends.
Uhm… with so much land they couldn’t choose a parcel that was not occupied… that is worse than eminent domain!! Straight bullshit!
Really Madonna?? You should think before you write a check!!!