Angelina Jolie Joins Instagram with a Powerful Letter From a Teen Girl in Afghanistan
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has been one of the world’s biggest topics lately. It has caused waves around the world, while the U.S. troops were finishing up their operation to return home. The Taliban took over each major city. As a result, many people have tried to escape Afghanistan to avoid the strict laws that they’re known for. These laws include not allowing women to leave the home without an accompanying man. Angelina Jolie is an A-list celebrity who has been using her platform to speak out against the Taliban’s takeover.
Special Envoy Angelina Jolie
Outside of her work as an actor and director, Jolie is also well-known for being a refugee advocate. As a result, she has worked in this field for years. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) appointed her to be a Special Envoy back in 2012. In particular, she aids with crises that involve large groups of people being displaced from their homes.
Jolie has experience working at a diplomatic level in order to help those who have been forced to leave the place that they have called home. This isn’t the first time that she’s used her platform to publicly speak about such injustices in the world. For example, she also spoke out during the Venezuelan refugee crisis back in 2018.
An Afghan girl sent a powerful letter
Jolie submitted her first post on Instagram, which highlights a letter from an Afghan girl. In the text, the teenager wrote about her fear of the Taliban now that they have taken over Afghanistan once again. She isn’t convinced that the Taliban is any different than it was. However, some believe that they may have changed. The teenager pointed at their history and the harm that the Taliban’s strict laws have caused.
The original Instagram post and the letter both make reference to twenty years ago. Jolie was on the border of Afghanistan soon before 9/11. The teenager fears that they have returned back to those times, where they will no longer have their rights. The Afghan girl wrote, “…we all lost our freedom, and we are imprisoned again.”
The actor and director included a statement of her own along with the letter and the photo of Afghan women. She described the displacement of these folks as “sickening.” Jolie emphasized how so many Afghan girls and women have fought for the right to an education. Jolie fired at world leaders for how they have handled the refugee crises.
Jolie continued: “Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.”
Angelina Jolie has already amassed a huge Instagram platform
Jolie has decided to join Instagram to use her platform for good. The plan is to share stories from around the globe, focusing on those who are fighting for their basic human rights. The letter from an Afghan teenager is only the beginning of the stories that she plans to share. The comments under the post welcome Jolie to Instagram and applaud her for the way that she’s choosing to use her platform.
At the time of writing, Jolie has already amassed 2.5 million followers on Instagram with only a single post. She only follows three other pages: NAACP, Doctors Without Borders, and the UNHCR.
