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10月份,全世界几十亿人都知道了马拉维的一岁男孩戴维。而仅仅一个月前,大概还有很多人从来没听说过戴维的祖国,一个与莫桑比克、赞比亚和坦桑尼亚接壤的仅有1300万人口的非洲内陆国家。而突然之间,戴维就变成了世界上最知名的马拉维人,因为他有幸被麦当娜领养,而电视镜头见了麦当娜就像狗熊见了蜂蜜一样疯狂。
但戴维确实好运吗?戴维的父亲尤罕·邦达(Yohane Banda)眨眼间成了知名人物,他说他原来不知道儿子将不再属于自己,也不知道儿子可能再也不会回到马拉维。麦当娜说尽管她听不懂邦达的语言,但邦达当时绝对不是的这样的说法。人们也开始询问,把孩子从父亲身边带走好吗?人权倡议者开始提起诉讼,要求戴维回到自己的祖国。
戴维的母亲已经离开了人世。她去世后,戴维的父亲边种菜边干零活,根本无法照顾戴维,不得已把他送进了孤儿院。在遇到麦当娜之前,小戴维与500多个孩子在孤儿院共同生活。因为马拉维国内HIV/艾滋病肆虐,使那里的孤儿人数超过了100万。而孤儿院的条件非常有限,院里的很多孩子都活不过5岁。麦当娜说他见到戴维时,他正患有严重的肺炎,连呼吸都非常困难。
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