Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie has officially joined the Instagram world. But she will be using her platform for a very specific reason.
We aren’t exactly sure why Jolie didn’t have Instagram up until this point in time. She has always been known as a private person without any social media whatsoever. But that has now changed with her new Instagram account and she quickly gained more than three million followers in just a few hours. She told her fans that she will be using this new platform of hers to help women and refugees in Afghanistan. Her very first post was titled “Letter From An Afghan Girl.”
“This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan,” Jolie begins her post. “Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely. So, I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.”
Jolie’s message, of course, comes shortly after the United States withdrew its forces from the region. That move allowed the Taliban to quickly assume power, which has understandably caused panic and fear for many in the country. For those who may not remember, the Taliban was in power from 1996 to 2001. They led a regime that was extremely oppressive, especially towards women.
Angelina Jolie Talks About Her Experience on the Border of Afghanistan
In her debut Instagram post, Angelina Jolie talks about how she originally built a relationship with the citizens in Afghanistan.
“I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago.”
Meanwhile, the star actress also had some harsh words for world leaders.
“It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country,” she continued. “To spend so much time and money, to have bloodshed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand.”
She says that Afghan refugees receive treatment like they are a “burden”. That poor treatment comes despite them being some of the most “capable people in the world.”
“Watching for decades how Afghan refugees — some of the most capable people in the world — are treated like a burden is also sickening. Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education but fought for it.”
And to sign off on her Instagram post, Angelina Jolie made a declaration to keep fighting for those women and refugees in need.
“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.”
