Madonna and the spectre of cultural imperialism

I read an article in The New Times fairly recently. It was a discussion about the insidious influence of cultural imperialism starting from a few anecdotes and leading up to a fairly vicious broadside against Madonna adopting a Malawian baby. The article termed this- with a certain flair for apocalyptic language- ‘cultural theft.’ Now I would not want to downplay the seriousness of such an issue. There are genuine debates to be had about it and it is still relevant in the world today. However I find myself leaping to the defence of Madonna-although admittedly she is someone who can take care of herself. My discomfort with this line of argument feeds into a wider worry about the way this issue is being discussed. It seems to me almost as if an accusation of cultural imperialism is the default position these days which must then be rigorously disproved by others. There is a tendency to try to fit facts into this narrative even if the way the facts are set-up may make this a particularly difficult exercise. Many elements of the anecdotal section of the article opened up a can of worms that I am indisposed to dealing with right now. However the bits about Madonna did stand out quite forcefully. I don’t have any particular affection for Madonna except for the fact that her music provided the soundtrack to my childhood-something I share in common with most people of my age. However I am a bit disheartened by the criticism she has faced for attempting to adopt a Malawian baby. Many of the criticisms are motivated by a kind of visceral reaction to a rich white woman adopting a poor black child. I can see why people might find it a bit strange and there are some rational reasons why people might oppose this adoption. Certainly from a legal point of view it looked shaky, as Madonna did not meet the adoption criteria set out by Malawi’s laws (She had not lived in Malawi for any significant period of time). However there is certainly one thing that this adoption story is not. It is not a powerful commentary on cultural imperialism-or ‘cultural theft’- in any meaningful sense. It seems to me that this story is a lot more straightforward than many people are willing to admit. There are no deep, profound truths to be extracted from this supposed scandal. It is a sorry state of affairs when a celebrity’s attempt to adopt an African child is held up as an illustration of current relations between our continent and our former colonial masters. There is also a certain incongruity about charging Madonna with cultural theft- infact, it seems almost like a sly piece of comedy. The article in question tries to frame the adoption as part of a greater trend that should worry us all, but even this isn’t borne out by the facts. Aside from Madonna, everyone knows Angelina Jolie has also adopted an African child. Can anyone name another white celebrity who has also joined this supposed bandwagon? Take your time-I’ll wait.Of course one of the fundamental factors underpinning the fight against imperialism is that it has racist overtones. And yet this ‘Madonna is an evil white woman taking our black baby’ narrative is itself fairly racist. Why is it so offensive for her to adopt a black child? How do you reconcile the anti-racist core of fighting cultural imperialism and colonialism with this position? The article noted that black people don’t adopt white babies. The answer to this surely is: so what? This isn’t in any possible way a justification for preventing such an adoption. This is the Twenty-first Century after all. In many ways, this adoption is a manifestation of how far we have come- a multicultural melting pot created in the post-Colonial era. Yet some of the hostile attitudes expressed about it also show how far we have to go. But as I mentioned earlier, Madonna and her adoption issues are only part of a bigger story. People have become so quick to talk about ‘cultural imperialism’ and its variations that it has virtually lost all meaning. It has become a sort of catch-all term for something which doesn’t feel right, but which one cannot properly name. This intellectual dilution of an interesting and still fairly relevant topic does worry me. It overshadows genuine debates we could be having about just how independent Africa is and the influence of other Countries in this regard. However I can state with a great degree of certainty that I do not live in a world in which Madonna has become a threat to pan-Africanism and cultural integrity. It goes against the instinct of a columnist to say this, but this is clearly a case of over-thinking an issue. minega_isibo@yahoo.co.uk