Madonna has been criticized by the government of Malawi for allegedly acting like a diva during her recent trip.
The ‘Hung Up’ hitmaker was reportedly left furious during a visit to the African country last week when she was snubbed by President Joyce Banda and forced to queue with economy class passengers at an airport,
Officials have now hit back at the singer – who adopted two children from Malawi, David and Mercy – claiming she demanded VIP treatment and wasn’t entitled to it.
A statement issued by the government read: "If the argument is that because she is an internationally renowned star, Madonna believes she deserved to be treated differently from other visiting foreigners, it is worth making her aware that Malawi has hosted many international stars including Chuck Norris, Bono, David James, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville who have never demanded state attention or decorum despite their equally dazzling stature.
"In the feeling of Madonna, the Malawi government and its leadership should have rolled out a red carpet and blasted the 21-gun salute in her honor because she believes that as a musician, the whiff of whose repute flies across international boundaries, she automatically is a candidate for VIP treatment."
The 54-year-old star – who adopted David in 2006 and Mercy in 2009 – visited the country to see the progress of her charity, Raising Malawi, which has committed to building schools to educate young people and put an end to poverty.
A spokesman for Global Philanthropy Group, which oversees Madonna’s charity work in Malawi, branded the government’s claims as "nonsense", and insisted the singer was being targeted because of a vendetta.
Trevor Neilson said: "Obviously these attacks are influenced by the fact that the president’s sister was removed as the head of Madonna’s organization in Malawi due to concerns about mismanagement of $3.8 million.
"As the largest private philanthropist to Malawi we would think that the government would be pleased that she is giving her time and money to one of the poorest countries in the world."