• I Heart Malawi
    Madonna’s Globe Goes for 24K!


  • 4/26/2008
    1:53 PM  

  • Of course, we at Raising Malawi know very well that we all have the world in our hands. Now there is one generous Raising Malawi supporter who can boast about owning the globe!

    On behalf of Raising Malawi, vanityfair.com has auctioned the autographed globe used in Madonna’s May 2008 Vanity Fair cover shoot. London-based set designer Robbie Doig spent ten days creating the eighty-pound orb of plaster, recyclable polystyrene and marble dust. It was then shipped to L.A. and suspended from the Smashbox Studios ceiling for Madonna’s collaboration with photographer Steven Meisel. After the shoot, Madonna took a moment to sign the globe, and made a point of literally drawing attention to the tiny nation of Malawi by putting her heart there.

    Along with the now iconic set piece, the auctioned package included two much-coveted tickets to Madonna’s upcoming performance at New York’s Roseland Ballroom on April 30th. The winning bidder is also looking forward to two nights at the Bowery Hotel and a meal at Gemma. Roundtrip airfare is provided by Virgin America.

    The whole lot went for a very much appreciated $24,200!

    Let’s break that down, okay? According to the stats on Raising Malawi’s new homepage, that kind of cash can provide 4,840 kids with clean drinking water. It can send 242 children to school. That is, indeed, a world of difference.


    Congratulations, and thank you!














    Yeah, it's rough stuff. We are talking about a nation devastated by poverty and disease. We're talking more than a million orphans here. We're dealing with genital mutilation, sexual cleansing, and witchcraft. At first glance, the problem seems insurmountable. And we can't look away because, yes, it is our problem.
    But it's a great problem to have because we've got the power to solve it, and in doing so, we save ourselves as well. I guess most of us make a constant choice between our own best interests and saving the world. What I am learning from Raising Malawi, and what I see in I Am Because We Are, is that there is no difference. There is no distinction, no ‘us and them' at all. Check out the gorgeous photos at www.iambecauseweare.com. Look into the children's eyes. Now consider these pictures not as mere documentary, but as mirrors. There's no time to feel sorry. Save yourself.

    Of course, with a million orphans we need all hands in. Making miracles is hard work. But no one who views I Am Because We Are would say it isn't worth it. Watching these kids pick up the tools of transformation, take control of their lives, rise up to become the future of what is actually a stunningly beautiful country…it's truly inspiring. Suddenly I find that I'm the one who's become empowered.

    I Am Because We Are premieres in New York this Thursday April 24 at 6pm, and continues through May 3. I'll be there, and I urge you to make plans to see it. You can get show times and locations, buy advance tix, view trailers and sign up for email updates at http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/filmguide/I_Am_Because_We_Are.html