Madonna
© AFP/DDP/File Michael GottschalkBLANTYRE (AFP) - A spokesman for the group, which is to present its case at the high court on Friday, said Yohane Banda's failure to understand the paperwork would be used to demand a review of a decision to give the singer interim custody of his son.
"It has empowered us on our part because we have been arguing all along that Madonna needed to foster the child and not necessarily adopt him," Maxwell Matewere, rights activist and director of Eye of the Child, told AFP.
"We are not surprised by the father's action. We anticipated such revelations to happen because the father really didn't know what was happening."
Eye of the Child is one of the 67 rights groups under the umbrella body Human Rights Consultative Committee which have challenged the interim adoption order for 13-month-old David and its apparent fast-tracking.
Madonna was given interim custody of David earlier this month after barely two weeks in the impoverished African country and the baby flew to Britain several days afterwards.
Matewere said that it was now clear that the illiterate father had not understood what exactly was going on.
"The level of understanding has caused all this," said Matewere.
"The expectation of the father and those of Madonna do not match at all and the government is to blame because it should have allowed for time for the father to consult and the question of fostering or adoption be addresssed."
Banda told AFP at the weekend that he could not read the adoption papers he was asked to sign, and believed the London-based star would look after his son before giving him back.
"Had they told us that Madonna wanted to adopt my son and make him her own son, we would never have agreed," said Banda.
Matewere acknowledged that it was "tricky" that the father signed adoption documents.
"Our observation is that issues of adoption need to be given time for consultation and decision because two years from now, Banda could be laughed at by society that he was an irresponsible father who gave away his child," added Matewere.
The spokesman said the coalition had "deliberately kept its distance" from talking to the father, saying "we don't want to be seen to be intervening."
©AFP