Interview Transcript: “Healing the Nations” — Dr. Luka Kovač & Nurse Erica Carmen with Madonna
Setting: The open veranda of the Mercy James Centre for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care in Blantyre, Malawi. The sound of distant children laughing, nurses chatting in Chichewa, and a soft breeze off Lake Malawi fills the air.
Dr. Luka Kovač:
Madonna, thank you for inviting us here. When I first came to Malawi, I came as a doctor, not a prophet. But since joining your foundation’s work, I’ve seen signs — real and symbolic. When I wrote about Revelation 13, I needed something to anchor the vision of the “beast of the earth.” And somehow, you found me the Malawi lion and the leopard — two creatures that remind me that power and beauty can coexist in balance.
Madonna:
I remember that. You were so moved when we visited the Liwonde National Park. The lion and the leopard are both survivors — like this country. That’s what my hospital is about: resilience. Healing the broken, protecting the vulnerable, and proving that Africa doesn’t need pity — it needs partnership.
Nurse Erica Carmen:
It’s holistic care in every sense — body, mind, and community. What inspired you, Madonna, to build a hospital instead of another school or orphanage?
Madonna:
Because I realized that a healthy child can learn, can dream, can build a future. But a sick child has no chance. When my daughter Mercy was born here, I promised myself I’d do something that went beyond charity. This hospital is about dignity. It’s about giving Malawian doctors like Luka the tools to heal their own people.
Dr. Kovač:
And you’ve done it. When I look at Lake Malawi, I see not just a lake but a lifeline. It could feed the entire region if we manage it wisely. Imagine irrigation systems drawing from it — sustainable farming, vitamin-rich crops, real food, not imports. If the nation’s health starts with the soil, this hospital is the soul.
Nurse Erica:
You’ve often said, Madonna, that “love is the new material.” Do you see that reflected here — in the work, the medicine, the children?
Madonna:
Absolutely. Love is renewable energy. You can’t exhaust it. It powers every nurse who stays past their shift, every mother who carries her child for miles to reach us. You feel it in every successful surgery. It’s medicine you don’t need a prescription for.
Dr. Kovač:
And when I look at the lion and leopard now, I see symbols of healing. The lion — courage. The leopard — adaptability. Together they guard this land. Perhaps they even guard us from despair.
Madonna:
That’s beautiful, Luka. Maybe that’s what Revelation 13 was always trying to show us — not a prophecy of doom, but a warning to evolve. To use power, not abuse it. To heal, not to harm.
Nurse Erica:
Then the beast becomes the healer — the system transformed.
Madonna:
Exactly. And Malawi becomes not just a nation recovering from poverty, but a model of how compassion can rebuild the world.
Dr. Kovač:
Then let this be our prayer: That the waters of Lake Malawi will feed, the lions will guard, and the children will rise — healthy, wise, and fearless.
Madonna:
Amen to that.