The parade of Hollywood types continues to Africa in highly publicized journeys and for highly publicized causes. But Simwogerere Kyazze, writing in Kenya’s Daily Nation, in an article posted on the must-read website Watching America, says it’s getting kind of old.
Some key highlights:
Nairobi: Is it just be, or is Tinseltown’s canoodling with African orphans getting a tad melodramatic (pun intended)? Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie is one of the most famous benefactors, but she’s hardly alone in opening her home to dirt-poor African children. Ms. Jolie, whose estranged father is Oscar winner Jon Voight, is one half of the most talked-about couple in Hollywood.
He notes some of the other Hollywood stars who’ve made the higly-publicized treks over the years or adopted children from far-away-from-Beverly Hills regions: Mia Farrow, Ewan McGregor, Meg Ryan, Madonna, etc:
So there we have it: some observers think this rush to Africa is the latest manifestation of “assistance envy.” While Tony Blair or George W. Bush can pledge billions of dollars (or Pounds Sterling) to Africa and actually make it happen, Angelina Jolie cannot. And while Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown or Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi appear to get some real work done every day, George Clooney appears to accomplish nothing when he’s on a movie set … and so on. Moreover, with a few exceptions – feel free to insert John F. Kennedy and Clinton – politicians and top business people lead fairly bland private lives and eschew the over-the-top lifestyles of Hollywood celebrities (I mean what’s up with Elizabeth Taylor getting married eight times; including twice to one guy?)
It’s therefore a cocktail of pressures that has turned our continent into a stomping ground for adoption-crazy celebrities – a desire to appear normal; a chance to escape harsh northern winters on U.N.-sponsored junkets; and perhaps some mild interest in black people. But I’ve got to say, it’s getting gooey.
He notes that child adoptions are somewhat rare in Africa, due to that entrenched institution (also prevalent in other parts of the world but not in the United States) called the extended family. He concludes:
But do you really think someone so socialized would be naturally inclined to adopt a young black stranger with cerebral palsy? To be fair, many stars use their celebrity status to turn the spotlight on causes that are often ignored in rich nations. Landmines, river blindness, informal settlements, drought, famine, genocide – all are familiar themes.
But the world was probably less complicated before every Tom, Dick and Harry Belafonte decided to set up personal orphanages in Beverly Hills.
This piece underscores a fact that those who’ve studied other cultures (including those who’ve wanted to come to the United States and seriously studied its culture) know: perspectives vary and what seems like a “given” may be seen a totally different way from someone else’s point of view. (We know that’s hard to believe in an American election year — but it’s true.) The person who perceives him/herself as a hero/heroine may not be perceived that way through a different set of eyes grounded in a different cultural experience.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.