I thinking 'confusion all round' is the phrase we're looking for. The father of the Malawian boy being adopted by Madonna, who last week told reporters he was glad Madonna would be caring for his son, and who spoke out against Malawian human rights groups criticizing the adoption, has changed his mind because, he says, no one involved in the adoption process explained that Madonna would get custody of his son "for good".
The boy's father, Yohane Banda, told the Associated Press this weekend: "I was never told that adoption means that David will no longer be my son... If I was told this, I would not have allowed the adoption. I want more clarification on the adoption. I would prefer that David goes back to the orphanage where I can see him any time I want, rather than send him away for good."
He still thanked Madonna from rescuing his son David "from poverty and disease", but added that he thought the singer would just "educate and take care of our son".
Sharing that viewpoint, Banda's cousin, Wiseman Zimba, told AP: "Our understanding as a family is that David is still part and parcel of our clan. After the good woman nurtures and educates him, he will return back".
Whether this new development will have any impact on the adoption remains to be seen. As previously reported, the Malawian Human Rights Consultative Committee will challenge the adoption in the country's High Court later this week, arguing that the authorities there illegally sidestepped the rules to allow Madonna's adoption to go ahead on a rapid schedule.