In this week's edition of Zooming In, Gelf's quasi-weekly roundup of undercovered local stories from around the world: Norwegian vodka; conjugal visits for an assassin; and anal lightning. One of our favorites deals with international reaction to a certain celebrity's recent adoption.

Paul Antonson

Maybe you haven't been watching the news, reading the tabloids, or checking out Oprah recently. You've still probably heard that our favorite pseudo-British actress/singer/celebrity—Madonna—has adopted a child from Malawi. Everyone seems to have an expert opinion about it, and columnists from around sub-Saharan Africa are no exception. In Zimbabwe's Harare Herald, Taonezvi Shepherd Mararike writes an editorial claiming that Madonna has used her wealth to purchase a child. Mararike, though, loses some credibility when he weirdly links Kabbalah to the KKK. In Rwanda's New Times, Mwiti Marete writes that Madonna's adoption of David Banda "could open doors to anyone from anywhere to come grab any black child and take it to the West and do whatever they like with it, without consequences." In South Africa's Business Day, an editorial adds that "The symbolism of the act—a rich, white woman removing a child from its home and culture—smacks of a new kind of slavery." While Rasna Warah of Kenya's The Nation agrees with much of the criticism, she adds, "The visits to Africa by celebrities have, however, had one unintended, but positive, impact. A recent New York Times article reported that tourism in several African countries is on the rise. Hopefully this will boost the economies of some of the African countries from which these children are being adopted."

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