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Angelina Jolie has finally joined Instagram. The Oscar-winning actress made her debut on Friday using her first post to bring attention to the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. The mom of six shared a letter she received from an Afghan girl in addition to a picture of Afghan women.
“This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan. Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely,” Angelina wrote alongside the post.
The Eternals star explained that she joined the social media platform “to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.”
In the caption, Angelina recalled being on the border of Afghanistan just two weeks before 9/11, where she met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. “This was twenty years ago. It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country,” she wrote. “To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand.”
“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,” the actress, who is a special envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 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.”
A source close to Angelina told People magazine that the Hollywood star “felt compelled” to join Instagram “in a moment when women and young people in Afghanistan are losing the ability to communicate on social media and express themselves freely.” The source added, “From her point of view, if she‘s able to be a part of the effort to amplify their voices, then she felt it was reason enough to join and use her platform.”