We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl (or boy)

So, it appears that material girl Madonna has arrived in Malawi (Africa’s third poorest nation) - private jet, entourage and all - with the intention of setting up some kind of $1 million Kabbalah orphanage project.

I find it hard not to be more than just a tiny bit cynical of Madge on this one. You see, there are some 6,000 orphans in Ekwendeni alone, and yet there is no orphanage in Ekwendeni. However, we didn’t see hordes of children roaming the streets or sleeping rough. How can this be? Simple: Malawian culture operates on the basis of large families looking out for each other. When one of your siblings dies (a common event, sadly), it is expected that you will take his/her children as your own. Hence, you see many guardians with a large number of dependents, but you very rarely see orphans with nobody to look after them. If there is no close relative to assume parental responsibilities (this being a fairly unusual occurrence - everyone is related, extended families are massive), a neighbour will take the responsibility.

What could be better for a recently orphaned Malawian child; to be sent to a guardianless orphanage with other orphans to be spoonfed chunks of celebrity pseudo-Judaism alongside your diet of charity-donated gruel; or to move in with your (materially poor but) hardworking aunt and uncle, and raised in their family, with their children as your new brothers and sisters?

The vast majority of Malawians I spoke to about orphanages were clear that their society neither needs nor wants orphanages. How sad when pretentious Western saviours descend on developing countries and create problems in order to (try and) solve them: what great reason to pat yourself on the back!

We did meet some beautiful children who’d been adopted (from orphanages) by families who live and work in Malawi: by the grace of God these lovely kids are being raised in family environments. But it seemed (to us anyway) that the proportion of orphans who had no-one whatsoever to raise them was a very small one - hence the total reticence among most Malawians to open orphanages left, right and centre.

One of the refreshing things about normal Malawian culture is that its world is definitely not a material one. People are valued more highly than possessions. Poverty (and your perception of your own wealth) is an entirely relative concept: the last thing Malawi needs is the message, we are living in a material world, and you must become material boys and girls.