With Oprah on backing vocals, Madonna sings Malawi blues
It happened to Oprah in South Africa, now Madonna is finding out that helping Malawian girls to a better life is fraught with good intentions. Malawi’s government is threatening to arrest villagers blocking construction of the very famous and often controversial singer’s multimillion-dollar girls’ academy. Madonna has been a frequent visitor to the landlocked country, having adopted two children from Malawi. Now, some 140 villagers are demanding more money for land the government leased to her charity, Raising Malawi, for 99 years. The very rich Madonna launched construction of the school last month, and has said she will build similar academies in other countries if this one works out. The current problems suggest that Africa may be her bête noire. Or put another way, she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Read more: Reuters, Time
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