Friday, 27 October 2006

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David's dad afraid Madonna will 'dump' son

Yohane Banda fears singer will back out of adoption amid controversy

Yohane Banda, the father of the 13-month-old Malawian boy Madonna hopes to adopt, says he's worried the controversy surrounding her plans will cause the pop singer to back out of the adoption.

"I am afraid Madonna may get angry and frustrated and decide to dump my son because of these people," Banda told the Associated Press on Thursday, in reference to human rights activists in Malawi who claim the law has been bent for the singer.

"These so-called human rights activists are harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing," Banda said Thursday. "I'm afraid David may be sent back and the orphanage may not even accept him back. So where will he end up? Here? He will certainly die."

A hearing in the adoption case is set for Friday. The Human Rights Consultative Committee has asked Judge Andrew Nyirenda to review the adoption process and make sure the laws have been followed.

Madonna has denied she's gotten any special favors due to her celebrity status. She told Oprah Winfrey on her show Wednesday, "If only my wealth and my position could have made things go faster. I assure you it doesn't matter who you are or how much money you have, nothing goes fast in Africa."

Banda said that the activists have pressured him to side with them in court: "They want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with Madonna and her husband."

Madonna also told Winfrey that Banda understood her intentions to adopt David. "He came into the courtroom with my husband and I and he looked into my eyes and said to me that he was very grateful that I was going to give his son a life," she said, "and that had he kept his son with him in the village he would have buried him. I didn't really need any more confirmation that I was doing the right thing."