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Nearly two years after trying to adopt a child from the African nation of Malawi, Madonna is behind a new documentary focusing on the plight of orphans there.
It's been nearly 2 years since Madonna first made headlines for trying to adopt a small child from the African nation of Malawi. And she's since become a voice for the more than 1 million children or orphans in that country and now she’s behind the film on that subject and Ann had a chance to catch up with her last night.
I did that, Mary, in fact, Madonna hit the red carpet at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival last evening where her new film debuted. It's called I Am Because We Are. It’s a documentary about the struggle of these children who have been orphaned by AIDS in Malawi. And afterwards I sat down with Madonna to talk about the film and why she felt the commitment to help those children.
I am because we are.
Something about their situation connected to me, and in a way I was going on my own journey and connecting to these children and wanting to in a way heal myself whilst helping them.
And hearing about their suffering? Something opened to you?
Yeah. I grew up as a motherless child. I had a roof over my head and I had food and I had a school to go to. And I still thought that my world was going to collapse on me, so how could it be for these children who, most of them, having lost both of their parents, having no roof over their head, no food to eat, how horrifying and frightening it must be for them!
You know, I wonder how this revelation came to you, you know, this is going to be a thing, you know, for you. (Yes!) This is not how people see you.
I think having children and having a family forces you to think about people besides yourself, I mean you don’t really have a choice, I think I just got to a point in my life. / I thought, you know, I have so much, and it’s a great tragedy if I don’t use what I have to make the world a better place. I know that sounds silly, or cheesy, or like a cliché, whatever but it’s the truth.
If I was challenging people to open up their minds and their hearts, then I had to be willing to stand at the front of the line.
I appreciate and understand how people could be cynical, that’s fine, I accept that.
Why do you appreciate that people can be cynical?
Because I think we live in a society, that, where people are naturally suspicious of acts of altruism or generosity.
Or maybe they might be suspicious because they might think, well, you know, Madonna changes all the time, is this simply another fad, de jour, a trend, or just a new, is this something that is really core to Madonna.
My re-inventions are part of my evolution and my growth as a person. They’re aspects of it that are full of lesson. They are aspects of it that are real.
His name is David, I decided to try and adopt him. I don’t see how anybody who really understands how complicated it is to adopt a child could say that someone toasts to do that as a fad, it’s just too difficult, it’s too traumatic.
It’s been hard then to adopt David.
We have not even been granted the full adoption. It’s supposed to be happening in the next month. So for the last 18 months I have been a foster parent. I have been visited every 6 weeks by social workers who come into the house and make sure that you are being a good parent, and David’s health is thriving, and asking you all kinds of invasive questions, and you have to put up with it and endure it and you know, I have been fingerprinted about 20 times, and undergone psychological evaluations and I think everybody who goes through adoption has to do this, I am not alone and, but you know, I do it again.
You would?
Yeah.
Why?
Because David is amazing, because he’s brought so much joy to our lives and more than about him. And so, it was worthy. I think most people will suffer for the things they love.
And now at this point in your life, it seems you’re opening, to some part of you, it's softening, something that is looking for wisdom, usefulness.
Well, thank God. (What do you mean by that?) Well, thank God I am searching for wisdom and usefulness. Em, one hopes that one gets to that point in their lives sooner or later.
Do you wish that you could just be anonymous?
No, no, (No?) I mean, yeah, I have moments of it, but I don’t wanna wish that I am not me, I don’t wish I were someone else.
What is it that you want to feel about your life?
That my soul reached its true potential. And that I did everything that I was put on this Earth to do.
Which is?
Well, who knows. We are about to find out.
And it’s part of that, she also spoke to me about possibly working with orphanages and other parts of the world beyond Malawi, places like Cambodia and the Palestinian territories and she also does not discount the idea of adopting again. (Very well~) So this seems to be a new sort of beginning for her, she says.
