The Power Of Madonna! Malawi Releases Gay Couple After Madge Protests!
Yes!!!!
Thank you, Madonna!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! A victory worth celebrating!
In what could only be described as a true testament to Madonna's greatness, the Malawi goverment has agreed to release a gay couple who was arrested on the charge of being gay!
The Material Girl, upon hearing the disgusting news, began a crusade against the ruling and became very vocal about the injustice of putting two men away in prison for 14 years because they were brave enough to be who they are. She called upon her fans to do the same, which was enough to get the president of Malawi to concede.
On Saturday, Steven Monjenza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were released from prison on "humanitarian" grounds. Once they were free, Madonna posted this message to her blog:
"I have always believed love conquers all—yesterday I got to see it in action. In the last week over 30,000 of you added your name to mine calling for the release of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalangal—the Malawi couple sentenced to 14 years hard labor for the "crime" of homosexuality. With incredible joy, I am writing to share with you that Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has ordered their release."
Beautiful! See the joy that can come from a united front against inequality!
While Steven and Tiwonge still have a long journey ahead of them, perhaps now they see how special they truly are!
We are so filled with pride! The 30,000 of you that helped should be too!
[Image via WENN.]
Tags: gay rights, malawi
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Faster than a ray of light…
Still suckin' on her balloon knot Mario? Harry thinks you should go suck a big bag of hot dicks!
….that old bitch should just move there or adopt the whole country and call it "Madonnaland"….or at the very least whisk those two guys out of the country….I am so tired of her…go away and take your fake accent with you…it is not like your family even came from England, you slag….use an Italian accent at least…
Wow..not a Madonna fan, but this was awesome….Great job Madonna for walking the walk…
I think thats great! Malawi needs to get with the times as far as gay rights and everything but seriously who the fuck does Madonna think she is? Because she bought some kids from there she now owns that joint? This bitch has some serious self entitlement issues, to go along with her fear of aging issues!
she did a good job, bravo!
The Queen Of The Universe
She is so Cool OMG 
This is truly inspiring! There's a lot of bad news in the world lately, but it's so encouraging to hear news like this! We are one people, and i think we're on our way toward peace!
BRAVO MADONNA!
she has always been one of the first to support gay rights..even when it wasn't necessarily "cool" to do so….and i will always remember that!
Just one of the HUNDREDS of reasons i love MADONNA.
ARE YOU COMPLETELY FUCKING STUPID MARIO???
MADONNA DIDN'T CAUSE THIS, THE PRESIDENT AGREED TO THE RELEASE AFTER THE HEAD OF THE UNITED NATIONS BASICALLY TOLD HIM THAT HE COULD EXPECT LESS INTERNATIONAL AID IF HE DIDN'T RESPECT THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS!!
WELL DONE TO MADONNA FOR SPEAKING OUT BUT THIS IS NOT HER VICTORY!
dnt say stupid thngs perez. it wasnt th power of madonna it was th power of the Uited Nations. the secretary general came fr a meeting w the president as the couple were released aftr that. this madonna chik needs to stop making it sound like she's THAT important. like, thnx fr ur money bt u dnt hav that much power
Yeah right. Your precious Madonna didn't do it all herself. Idiot.
You seriously think that Madonna & 30000 people were repsonsible for getting them released? Utter rubbish.
Re: AmDram –
hmmm let me see here…you think…that MADONNA had nothing to do with it?…….money talks darling…and i'm sure MADONNA made some calls…and definitely talked about the MILLIONS she is pumping into that country….don't be so naive.
Your ignorance is appalling, Mario. What kind of an idiot thinks it was because of this popstar those men were released?
Re: AmDram – Well at least one person sees Madonna has no power in a country's politics damn..
Re: SUGARDIVA – Clearly YOU are the one that's naive! Do you really think that Madonna's money is the only thing that's supporting this country?? It makes a difference, but that money goes straight to her charitable foundation rather than into the government's pockets, which is why the president wouldn't pardon these two on just her say so.
On the other hand, the government are able to siphon off a little of the huge sums (far more than Madonna's money) that the IMF and other sources pour into Malawi, so Ban Ki Moon's little chat, helped!
As I said before, I applaud Madonna for speaking out but her writing a blog DID NOT secure the release of these men and to report so is incredibly ignorant.
Dude, are you really going to lay all the credit for this on her shoulders? There's been an international outcry over this for weeks from tens of thousands of people, plus political pressure that rang louder than her "statement." As honorable as it is that she spoke out against it, let's not overlook the fact she has a vested interest in Malawi; she wouldn't want to upset her fans by looking like she supports this, now would she?. Where was she during the much publicized hangings of gay men in Iran? Give credit where credit is due.
Re: SUGARDIVA –
"money talks darling…and i'm sure MADONNA made some calls…and definitely talked about the MILLIONS she is pumping into that country….don't be so naive."
Kind of like how she was able to bend the rules in getting another successful adoption..because MONEY TALKS, right? You're only wildly speculating what happened…your response is just as if not more naive.
Glad that Madonna stood publicly in solidarity with Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjenza and all the Malawians (in Malawi and in the diaspora) who felt it was an injustice to imprison two people who had an engagement party.
They released that ONE couple ! AND?!?!!?? What happened to them after they were released? How many more are in jail and are being beaten and tortured? ANYONE who is for BASIC human rights should never give another dime to Madonna's Malwai Charity !!!
Why don't we have the Catholic Church cantonize her as a Saint? Saint Madonna. She would love that. If Madonna wants to do so much good for the gay community let's see her leave her homes in other countries and get her hands dirty here in the US of A. She continually wants this country to support foreign countries with financial means and yet this country is falling apart at the seams. How about funding those unemployed millions Madonna? How about that?
You lose your cred more every day Mario. Get your facts straight before you blow your wad!
Re: AmDram –
and why do you think that the united nations take action? Do u think that one day the united nations just woke up and said, oh we should save those two queers who were just arrested in Malawi! Ur the dum fck! Malawi was not even know to the world until Madonna put it on the map! If don't have anything nice to say then don't post anything! Is your life so fucking miserable that you have to channel your bitterness into something so positive? Get a life loser! ur right this was not only madonna, it was her fans also, hence the power of madonna!
How bad do you want be locked up in a Malawi prison Mario? Gettin' your asshole wrecked by some real soul brothers? Your little pee pee is hard just thinkin' about it huh?
Anything Madonna does recieves a massive amount of attention from the world press. You may not want to give her credit for swaying this decision but the news reports had begun to subside on this issue until she championed the cause. Does she get all of the credit…of course not. But don't let your hatred, for whatever reason, ,make you thik she wasn't instumental…she definitely was.
Re: amricanboy – You need to read some of the other comments and also the mainstream news, dumbass!! I wasn't hating on Madonna, just Mario (and now you) for being fucking ignorant!
Do you honestly think that the heads of the UN read Madonna's blog for guidance on which causes to champion?? Well done for making yourself look fucking stupid - I'm sure that the thousands of other Perez readers with half a clue are also laughing at your ignorance!
You're an idiot Pammie - she used her name and clout to help undue something she saw as an injustice…… you slam her for putting her name out there to help a cause you yourself says is "great"….
Hypocrite. What did you do to help these guys? Nothing? oh, I see.
Besides, Madonna cannot win sometimes, had she NOT done anything, you'd be bitching that she should have since she adopted two children from the area.
Get a grip you dumbass.
Re: amricanboy –
First of all, don't speak for everyone when you say Madonna put Malawi on the map; not all of us are that ignorant in geography or world affairs.
Second, it wasn't just the UN that took action, but the actions of one individual by the name of Ban Ki-moon, who's been active in global human rights issues for years. Ever heard of him? I doubt it! I'm pretty sure he's heard of Malawi long before Madonna and her fans have, and probably could care less about the "power of Madonna and her fans", whom, by the way, weren't the only ones protesting this.
Madonna had nothing to do with it ! It's Lady Gaga who saved these two men just because she's Gaga.
Now REAL diva news :
Mariah Carey has been cast as Zira in the remake of "Planet of apes" Variety reports adding "Typecast" to the news. In response the director of the movie said "Hey if we can save on make up and prosthetics because au naturel she looks the part, why not ?"
however this happened, I am glad for them!
Re: amricanboy –
Just because YOU didn't know about Malawi, doesn't mean the WHOLE WORLD didn't know about it. Get your head out of your bum. And no, it wasn't because of Madonna that those 2 men were released. She just joined her voice to thousand upon thousands of other people speaking out about this atrocity.
Re: YoungTaurus – Amen! Credit where it's due.
And I'm glad to see that despite the incredible stupidity of whoever wrote the article, this website has a number of visitors that are intelligent and aware of what's going outside of the world of celebrity - I no longer feel bad about my genuine interest in what Lindsay Lohan will do next! xx
Re: Big Black Dick – LOL
Good for Madonna! This is very good news. Madonna helped out by just saying this is wrong and bringing attention to her fans to protest. Some of you just need to STFU.
Re: Gary78 – Please and what charity does Mariah support besides In N' Out Burger? You seriously have issues when you critize someone for good deeds. She has all the $ in the world and has no agenda there except to make some sort of difference in a place that time and the rest of the world seem to forget. Do you think if she hadn't raised the profile of this country (by getting Internation attention for adopting 2 kids) this would have been a media story, most definitely not. I know you feel treatened by Madonna b/c she is the only female music star that is more successful and famous then Mariah but seriously get over it already! No good deed goes unpunished with you does it.
BULLSHIT!!! It was fuck all to do with that skank…it was the outcry from the rest of the world that got them their freedom. So stop trying to act like that ole whore is some kind of miracle worker!!
So HOW MANY politicians did she have to put out for to get THIS done?
This shit is just like when Lindsay Lohan took credit for saving those little girls from being sold into sex slavery in India!
SUUUURRE… As if she had any responsibility in the outcome.
Earth calling Perez!!!
Re: Crickan – Your running your mouth about shit you dont know. First Madonna does nothing without it benefiting her publicity some how. She has admitted that publicly in the 90's! Second I do charity work all the time but unlike Madonna who you blindly put high on a pedestal I do it to gain nothing and dont feel the need to shout it out from the roof tops. There are shit loads of stars who do the same because they have no underlying agenda! Get your head out of your ass and stop worshiping her as if she is a saint or a god!
This story is all horseshit!! HORSESHIT!! Nothing against madonna or the gay men but the very thought that madge had anything to do with these men being released is laughable!! Pull you're head out of your arse, politicians don't give a flying fuck what celebrities are saying, if they did bob geldof and bono would have already succeeded a long time ago!! It is really sad that people (& apparently madonna herself) believe this…wait for it…HORSESHIT!!!
She's looking old
and all of you who are insisting madonna had anythng to do with this shud stop getting ur news and current affairs info from websites like this and pick up a newspaper or watch CNN or sumthng once in a while. the ignorance is soooo rife
Although I appreciate Madonna standing up against this injustice - let's be real - it was Ban ki-Moon's meeting with President Mutharika that made the way for Tiwonge and Steven being pardoned. And as was stated by Perez - these men have a long road ahead of them as there is a tendency in Malawi for mob "justice" - these mens lives are at risk and I am praying that they will survive their release. I pray that the proper measures will be taken to protect them. One cannot help but wonder if there were people/organizations that empowered these men to come out in the first place and I pray that these people/oragnizations will have their back now! These two men are poor Malawians how most likely do not have financial or other means to protect themselves or flee the country and I pray these men have not been used as pawns.
fantastic!
Ok so I agree that it was wrong for these people to be imprisoned but fuck Madonna if she thinks that she is the reason they were released.. not everyone worships her self-entitled ass.
Re: Gary78 –
Gary shut the Fck up man! All you ever do is critic Madonna, u are a sad excuse of a human being! What do u get out of bashing Madonna? Do you think that your childish insults make any difference? Do you think your childish comments will stop the all mighty madonna? What is you fat idol doing? Oh thats right, she is eating her weight in pound cake and renewing her bows to that kid! At least Madonna is taking a stand for something she believes in. Wether or not it was all her doing, she definitely had something to do with it, and you dont have to like, just crawl back under the rock you live in! LOSER! GROW THE FCK UP!
amazing .so glad to hear that and madonna has a huge heart. she surprises me day after day.she is always concern about problems in society instead living just for celebrity world. she is HUGE. the queen
Don't be so excited for them yet. Madonna may have just put a clock on them. I wouldn't be so surprised to find out that they end up dead after their release. The other men in the village often kill homosexuals there.
Re: Tube Steak – old bitch is ur mother and this woman is not old for being 50. she looks better than millions of young stars. is mroe mart than all of them together. and shes wonderfull like gaga said. and ur so dumb cause madonna lived in england for 10 years its normal to have the english accent. just a dumb ass dont get that. its like ppl from braziçl that come to live in portugal they start to talk with portuguese accent. IT HAPPENS
Re: jp1988 –
HAHA lol, could not agree with you more! nough said! BTW, I think MC also supports Taco Bell, Carls Jr., KFC, Popeyes and Pizza Hut!
Re: DanielDax – yeah and SO WHAT?!!! she is giving the kid a better life?!!!!! what's the problem?….it's better for the child to be in an orphanage….in poverty?…GIVE ME A BREAK!
Re: kitty9 – looking old? did u see interview magazine pics that she photoshoot without airbrushing? she looks hotter than ever and her charisma and power make her so sexy. shes the best of all. THE ONLY PERSON THAT WALKS THE WALK. AND IS THE FIRST TO ACT WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN RIGHTS. SHE IS STRONG AND AN EXAMPLE TO ALL OF US. GOOD MOTHER, AMAZING BUSINESS WOMAN,GNEIOUS.
A WOMAN AHEAD OF HER TIME
Re: lushusme – Although the United Nations guy went over there, lets be real… IT WAS MONEY THAT GOT THESE 2 RELEASED! So once again lets give an applause to the love of money which get these 2 released and also helped MADONNA BUY HER 2 KIDS FROM THERE.
SHE ACTS. AND SHE ALWAYS DOES WHAT SHE PROMISES. WELL DONE QUEEN
Re: AmDram – madonna creat a petition and lots of ppl signed it. thanks to madonna make this public cause press gives her so much attention.thank god theres ppl like madonna
Re: Malibubu – and thats a shame. madonna helps that ppl she has the right to speak, they need to protect those men.
Re: SUGARDIVA – of course. just watched her malawi documentary and her adopt son david was with malaria. he was dying and she saved him. she didnt buy any kid just some stupid ppl think that cause they are probably jealous or dumb. she is the one that is walking the walk insteadtalking the talk. bow down to M. cause she is a huge woman
This is one of the only sites where rabid fan's just cant except that other people have opinions and dont blindly worship human beings like they feel the need to do. They just dont seem to grasp that these stars they put way up high on a pedestal are regular people that are all just smoke and mirrors, an image spun by their managers. They feel the need to attack and swear and be intolerant of anyone with a different opinion. Im not sure if these people are just kids or if they are grown adults who never quite grew up but either way its sad. Just except the fact that not everyone likes what you likes and not everyone has the same opinion as you. More often then not these people dont turn on you rabid fans until you get out your claws. Why do you care so much what other people you dont know and never will think. You like them good for you thats all that matters!
Intelligent readers all know that Mad Donna will jump on any bandwagon issue which affords her more publicity. Some will recall last year when she chose to stick her nose into Europeans' affairs regarding Gypsies and got roundly booed in Bucharest. Pig-vomit Mario Lardveranda giving her credit for this is laughable. ajajajajajajajajaja
Re: SUGARDIVA –
You're too much of a deluded fan to see the forest through trees. Give me a break with your unintelligent replies. Yes, I'm sure these kids are better off now with Madonna. Hell, they're better off than 99% of kids in the United States.
Re: MadonnaLive –
Actually this was in the news way before Madonna made a statement. Don't get it twisted. You will not ever sound worldly if you get all your news from Madonna fansites.
What a ridiculous conclusion! Madonna gets 30000 people to sign a list, the couple are released, therefore Madonna is responsible for their release! I doubt the president of Malawi would give a toss about her opinions. The world's a bit more complicated than Perez would like to imagine.
Re: MadonnaLive – Mad Donna was FIRED as the ugly face of Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs himself because NO amount of re-touching could save the photoshoot. It's TRUE! Please update the pictures in your shrine. These days she looks like Jack Nicholson as The Joker in the Batman movie. ajajajajajjajajajajajajaja
Ban Ki Moon met with the Malawian president. I love Madonna, but she had nothing to do with the men being released. The secretary general worked his magic with the power of the U.N. behind him.
Your post should be removed because it is utterly false and misleading. Look, I know that Madonna has some influence but don't be deceived she has no influence in Africa. At best she is just one of the many famous Americans that see Africa as her charity case. SHE IS NOT IMPORTANT in the greater schemes of things in Africa and will never be.
You should be scared Mario, if you lie in America the land of the free and you cant be free. Hispanics are basically being targeted and sexual orientation is still a big issue. In Africa, homosexuality is discouraged because it is something many people cannot comprehend and do not even think about but here its just an excuse to pick on another group of people.
I thought you may have an ounce of sense but I guess not. Fucking Ignorant Asshole.
Re: ivyleaguer – And that power was MONEY.
I find it amusing and ironic that the Madonna fans on here who insist that she is the one responsible for getting that couple free i.e. fighting against intolerance here they are on here being intolerant of anyone elses opinion if it dosnt match up to theirs. Think about it fans, dont be hypocritical now!
this is a bs story. i doubt madonna was the reason the couple was released.
Re: DanielDax –
YEAH EXACTLY….so what wasn't intelligent about my reply?…the fact that i think MADONNA did good?….it's ok….you know you can like her.
Re: Assanis – ugh. seriously?
please do us all a favor and shut your mouth.
lady gaga didn't have anything to do with it.
Re: AmDram – wow, you take this seriously. There were a number of reasons why these two men were released, it sparked outrage worldwide that two men could be arrested just for the supposed 'crime' of being gay. Madonna may only of been one person out of many - but it's no doubt that the officials that released them took note of her petition. The united nations may of also spoke to them, therefore there were alot of reasons why they were both released. No need to get worked up and start swearing at people.
God, Mario. This post is a ridiculous mess for two important reasons:
1) Tiwonge is not a man. Tiwonge is a woman. Transwoman if you want to be a dick about it, but a woman nonetheless. This is not a gay couple. This is a hetero couple. They were jailed for not being an acceptable hetero couple, because neither of these people are gay men. Get your shit straight.
2) Madonna had little or nothing to do with anything. Giving her so much credit for this is so absurd that's it's heartbreaking. Was it good for her to speak out? Absolutely. Did she actually make this happen? Absolutely not. Again, get your shit straight.
Oh please . . . . . and fuck off for attributing that to Madge, Perez. You can't be serious . . . .
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Your lack of international affairs is blantantly obvious.
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I normally don't critize you - since I'm the one coming to this site - but this is too much. Spare me.
Madonna used all her power and influence to make this happen. She called upon all the progressive men and women of Malawi to help her. She did it Madonna and the international pressure she put on Malawi made this happen.
God Bless You Madonna!!!
Re: MadonnaLive –
You don't make Madonna any favours with your comments. In fact you sound like a lunatic.
im sorry but homosexuals are criminals in that nation and they should have been held accountable for their crimes!!!!
Re: SUGARDIVA –
Uh..that fact that you think "she made some calls" and made her money talk…please..I'm not the only who doesn't believe that crock of shit!
I dunno….. In nations in which so many men have been hijacked into militias, families separated, no recognizable infra-structure in place….is the PRIME PROBLEM that needs addressed… men who refuse to participate in child rearing & just wanna have fun & dress up as women? Maybe…just maybe…these countries know something that we don't…THAT IS: Every single man is needed to aid in the survival of the nation, women need husbands, children fathers….perhaps they just don't have the MONEY, FOOD, INDUSTRY, INFRASTRUCTURE to spend time worrying about some Gay boys. That said….jailing them was unconscionable. I just HATE how spoilt Westerners who feed their fucking DOGS better than Malawians are fed tell them what their social mores should be…THE FUCKING HUBRIS IS ASTOUNDING!
You know, Elton John also wrote an open letter to the Malawian president demanding release of the two…why is he not mentioned? Also not mentioned are the various LGBT and human rights groups around the world who condemned and protested this and whom were on this long before Madonna was.
MADONNA RULES and Perez 2 xo
Madonna you did Thank You
Cool! Good for them and thank God Madonna is using her power for equality, freedom and human rights…Go Madonna!
Re: Serena Loves Mario – Of course Madonna didn't do this all by herself, but she brought it to the world's attention and that had a HUGE part in swaying the law. It's great that a celeb is doing right and using the press to help justify the release. Of course Madonna isn't the one who physically freed them from jail, but she might as well because if she didn't bring it to light, it most likely would not have happened as quick..or perhaps never would have happened.
Re: GoodBoyNC – That just shows just how influential and powerful Madonna is. I didn't even hear about this story until CNN ran it and of course mentioned Madonna's outrage at the injustice. Like Madonna or not, her power over the global media is greater than any celeb in the world. Had Madonna not raised awareness and had not the country of Malawi not respected Madonna efforts there, then this would not have happened. Not too many people have heard of Malwai before Madonna started her humanitarian work there. Sure, many have, but Malawi has had a huge boost as an independent country largely due to Madonna and the massive press coverage she gets when she goes there or adopts from there.
fake, fake and more fake. insane old bitch
Re: MadonnaLive – you sound like a brainwashed loonie. someone call the men in the white coats, we've gotta basket case. get help.
ps maybe if she gets her arse pulled over her head again, she'll look even more like an alien, pardon, i mean younger.
Good on her. And good on her for thinking about someone other than herself for a change.
wow - I have a lot of respect for her.
it has nothing to do with Madonna!
they are released because Malawi is heavily rely on foreign aids, so they don’t want their "sponsors" think they have inhuman problems, and use it as an excuse to reduce aids for them.
Perez really has no basic politic knowledge.
But still Madonna made her efforts.
I think this is great, Madonna is a has been but at least she is doing good in the world with her fame unlike many of the psuedo-celebrities of our time. Good for her (and them !)
Re: Gary78 –
i swear this whole madonna vs mariah thing is just sooo stupid,you guys are pathetic..sad sad people.
Re: Big Black Dick – nice pic fuktard by the way u arminority as well.
Re: Dawo – damn u hot man.
Re: Big Black Dick – hope its big cuz u fuggly.
Re: Assanis –
totally agree with you.i don't think she would appreciate this lol
It's the way of the world. She gives a little, they give a little. Besides, there was huge international pressure worldwide on Malawi over this. It wasn't all Madonna, but every bit helps. She cranked out a very solid press release that clearly stated her position.
Re: goodtasteishardtofind –
Well, I had heard of this story before Madonna made her statement. It was widely published on sites like CNN and Yahoo news, as well gay publications like OUT and THE ADVOCATE, and the only time I remember her name being brought up was when a small number of people were criticizing her for having not saying anything yet about it, being that she had ties to Malawi. Then when she finally DID release a statement, the first time I read about it was on….um..this site. I guess everyone gets their news differently.
Although my point wasn't really who is more powerful, but why aren't any other key players mentioned? Maybe even Perez himself was helpful in bringing it to light.