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Star of hope Oscar winning actress Angelina Jolie in Sri Lanka as Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR says she is amazed by the “survival instinct” of those living in the war ravaged areas. Ruhanie Perera reports She'd
smile, she'd laugh out loud, she'd stop for a friendly chat. But
she could also be She was most
expressive when, like anyone else, she spoke of matters closest
to her heart; then her expression would change, her animated gaze
would be replaced with one of concern and she'd unconsciously chew
on that famous lower lip - a look that has made her famous and rendered
her all the more endearing both on and off screen.
Tomb Raider
star Angelina Jolie, best remembered for her role as Lisa in Girl,
Interrupted for which she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress,
was on a mission in Sri Lanka far removed from the glamour and glitz
of Hollywood. But it brought her to the midst of what she calls
"real life". Casually
clad in black jeans and a t-shirt, with her hair pulled back into
a ponytail and minimal make-up (though still looking lovely), Jolie
addressed the press on Wednesday, giving her impressions of Jaffna
and parts of the Wanni, which she visited in her capacity as Goodwill
Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
All she knew when she first decided to come to Sri Lanka was that
she "wanted to see for herself how Sri Lanka was recovering
from 20-years of civil war." Jolie, who
was appointed as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in August 2001(a post
previously held by celebrities like actress Sophia Loren and actor
Richard Burton), taking over from US opera singer Barbara Hendricks,
says of her work, "This is what I'd rather be doing. I wish
I could do this permanently. I wish I could be there to see things
progress. But it's being in films that helps me to support, financially,
the work I do in this field; work, I feel, that connects me to life." During her
visit she met refugees, recent returnees and vulnerable persons
affected by the conflict in the Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu
districts. These included returnees in Talaiady on the east coast
of Jaffna, in Toppukadu on Karainager island in the Jaffna District,
in Ponnagar in the Kilinochchi District and in the Muslim quarter
of Jaffna town. Jolie also
made special trips to the Jaffna Social Action Centre in Jaffna
town, the Supermadam Welfare Centre on the north coast of Jaffna
near Point Pedro, the Valvettitturai (VVT) hospital also on the
north coast of Jaffna and the Karakulam girls' orphanage in Kilinochchi.
While in Mullaitivu she also visited the Iniya Valva Illam Centre
for Disabled children in Vallipunam. At the end of her mission,
which took her through this packed itinerary, she called this trip
"amazing"; one that has, like many of her other humanitarian
missions, been a learning experience. What struck
her most about the people she met is their "survival instinct".
Said Jolie, "I've had a chance to sit down with people and
share their experiences. I've listened to what they've lived through
and continue to live through and I'm touched by their will to survive." Ever inspired
by what she calls "the unbroken human spirit", which has
revealed itself in numerous ways during this trip and made a lasting
impression on her, Jolie talks of moments that have left their mark
on her life. Having spoken to people who've had to pack their bags
and leave overnight, she asks, "What do you take with you in
such a situation?" These are people who don't have their identification
papers, birth certificates, marriage certificates, proof of their
education, such seemingly little things - "but it is proof
of who they are" - they don't even have that and they still
carry on. UNHCR reports
show that the monitored return rate of displaced persons is 10,
000 to 12,000 people a month. Jolie's concern is that they return
to where their home was and more often than not this means they
come back to flat land and rubble. While it may be a very reasonable
wish to want to come back home, the issue at hand is, 'Can they
come back?' - when they don't even have the very basics. Their homes
are bombed down cement walls, that have no roofs, says Jolie, but
they are happy to be back home because the place holds some sentimental
value. "Last week someone smiled and said 'That's my brother's
house, he's coming back next week' and all you see is the flat ground
and rubble. We need to work to ensure that there is something for
people to come back to." Jolie, who
has visited Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Namibia, Cambodia, Pakistan
and Thailand among others, on similar humanitarian missions has
seen in Sri Lanka something she hasn't encountered before and that
is - hope. "Emotionally,
this trip has been easier for me because I see 'hope' in this country
and I've met people who are so encouraging with their unbroken spirit.
This has given me lots of hope," she said. Enjoying the
experience of motherhood with her adopted son Maddox, Jolie was
saddened by her encounter with orphan girls who did not want to
be mothers. This will be one of the potent images she will take
back with her. They wanted to be doctors and teachers, she said,
but not mothers. "What's happened to these children? I want
to ensure that they know that things are going to be different for
them." Making an official
statement to the international community, which called on them to
support the peace process in Sri Lanka, Jolie also outlined the
work she felt should be a priority_the need to invest in immediate
relief and rehabilitation for internally displaced people topping
the list. Moved by her visit to Valvettitturai hospital and her
encounter with 62-year-old, Dr. Mylerumperilman, the sole physician
who ran the hospital and an outpatient clinic where he treated on
average 85 patients a day, she made a commitment to donate funds
for the rehabilitation of the paediatric ward, starting with a donation
of 10,000 dollars. Vocal about
the issue of refugees, children in particular, she said with a shrug
"I give what I can and I do what I can." The reality she
has decided to focus on is not something most people are comfortable
about, she says, and "that is why I am here - to make people
open their eyes to the plight of displaced people in the world and
be more sensitive to their needs." Travelling
the world on so many missions, has language ever been a barrier?
Yes, sometimes, she is dependent on translators. But she knows one
sure-fire way of bridging the language gap - a smile. Completely
absorbed in the people of the countries she's visited, Jolie keeps
detailed accounts of her experiences and impressions. She's released
the diaries of her African, Cambodian and other experiences, which
can be accessed on the Internet and in a bag slung over her shoulder
she pulls out her latest journal - a much handled, hurriedly scribbled
in exercise book, what endless school booklists term the 80-page
single rule exercise book, - her Sri Lankan Diary. Serious though her mission may be, Angelina Jolie is nevertheless a movie star to many and signing autographs comes with the territory. As she stopped to speak to her fans and give them their much-desired autograph she displayed a genuine interest in people and that came through even during the official 45-minute news briefing. If there's one thing that strikes you about Jolie, however brief your meeting with her may be, it's that she makes time for people and takes time to listen. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
businesslike.
There was no doubt that Hollywood star Angelina Jolie charmed all
those she came into contact with during her brief visit to Sri Lanka
last week.
