Agence France-Presse
April 13, 2013 23:16
At a school in a bombed-out Afghan village near Kabul, Angelina Jolie
is known as an aid worker or engineer -- never as one of the world's
most famous film stars.
Jolie, a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
built the school in Qala-i-Gudar last year and is planning to open more
in
Afghanistan with profits from a newly-launched jewellery line that she has designed.
The Hollywood star visited Qala-i-Gudar in 2011, and she retains an
avid fanbase among residents who have never seen any of her films and
have no idea about her global fame as an actress.
Acting is controversial in the country, with many conservative
Afghans associating it with un-Islamic behaviour and even prostitution.
Homaira, aged 13, is one of 250 pupils at the all-girls school who
has benefited from the new facilities, which opened for their first full
academic year last month.
"We used to study in the backyard of the mosque, it was hard,"
Homaira told AFP. "Now we are so happy to have a school. It's a
beautiful place."
Asked who built her school, Homaira smiled and answered, "the beautiful American lady."
The two-storey building, 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Kabul, has
large windows and neat rows of desks. On the outside, which is painted
light blue, is a plaque proudly boasting of its founder.
"Through the generous contribution of Angelina Jolie UNHCR Special Envoy," it reads.
Even headmaster Gul Rahmman Ayaz appeared ignorant of Jolie's
superstar celebrity, apparently believing she was a senior UNHCR
official.
"Is she?" Ayaz asked doubtfully after learning Jolie was an actress.
"Well whatever, she is a great woman, very kind woman," he added with a
smile.
Ayaz recalled Jolie visiting the mosque's open backyard, which at the
time served as a classroom, and sitting cross-legged with villagers
discussing her plan to found a modern school.
"She was very humble. She sat on dust. She didn't behave like a movie
star," Ayaz said, remembering Jolie arrived in a UN-marked vehicle and
wore a modest black outfit and brown headscarf.
Sabera, the school's only female teacher, believed Jolie was a
reconstruction expert sent to build schools in Afghanistan as it
struggles to emerge from decades of war that left the village in ruins.
"I thought she was an engineer," said Sabera, 30, who like most
Afghans uses only one name. "I have never seen her movies but I hope she
comes back."
Under the hardline Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and
2001, cinema was banned and girls were prohibited from attending school.
Qala-i-Gudar was on the frontline in fighting between the Taliban regime in Kabul and Northern Alliance forces.
Today Afghans have a huge appetite for cinema, though they prefer the melodrama and music of Bollywood fare to US blockbusters.
Officials say millions of children, about 40 percent of them girls,
have returned to school -- one of the key achievements of the
billion-dollar international aid effort since the 2001 US-led invasion
brought down the Taliban.
But, according to Kabir Haqmal, head of public affairs at the
education ministry, half of the 10.5 million students still study in the
open air or tents, and 50 percent of about 200,000 teachers are
unqualified.
"Anyone investing in Afghanistan's education is investing in the
future of Afghanistan," Haqmal told AFP. "I know this school was built
by Angelina Jolie and we appreciate her work."
Jolie, partner of Brad Pitt and star of the Lara Croft movies, has a
long record of humanitarian work and told the E! News website that she
hopes to fund more schools from the proceeds of her new jewellery line
called "Style of Jolie".
In Qala-i-Gudar, as in much of rural Afghanistan, there is little
access to television. Out of a dozen girls interviewed by AFP, half
don't have a set at home. Another has one, but says "the aerial has been
broken for a year".
sak/bgs/jm/mtp
Despite being, oh, the most famous woman in the world, Angelina Jolie likes to keep a low profile (not too many mag covers, few red carpets, etc.). So we were slightly surprised to learn that the star will be exhibiting a jewelry collection bearing her own name, a collaboration called Style of Jolie, in the South of France this summer.
Women's Wear Daily reports that Style of Jolie, created in collaboration with jewelry designer Robert Procop, will go on display at the Grand Hotel in Cap Ferrat and Monaco's Hotel de Paris from July 15 through August 15. Procop, who designed Angelina's famous engagement ring, worked with Jolie to create the limited-edition pieces and all the proceeds will go to Angie's charity of choice. (Brad, get that wallet ready...)
On working with Jolie, Procop told The Huffington Post, "She is a truly gifted artist and a pleasure to work with; she brings joy to everyone around her. It is an honor to work with someone who uses her talents to help the lives of so many."
Who knew those talents included fine jewelry design? Not us.
Below, see some of Procop's and Jolie's designs for his Style of Jolie collection (as well as Angelina's engagement ring!).