COMMENTARY

Ambassador Jolie: The (not so) angelic heir to Mother Teresa!

by Anthony L. Hall, a descendant of the Turks & Caicos Islands, international lawyer and political consultant - headquartered in Washington DC - who publishes his own Internet Weblog at www.theipinionsjournal.com offering Commentaries on current events from a Caribbean perspective

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Last Friday, Angelina Jolie took a break from filming her latest movie The Good Shepard (on location in the Dominican Republic) to visit Haiti in her capacity as a United Nations roving ambassador of goodwill.

In Haiti, where she was received like a visiting head of state, Jolie and her entourage (including movie star boyfriend Brad Pitt) visited a school funded by Haitian hip-hop star Wyclef Jean.

And there, amidst throngs of star-struck onlookers, she seemed genuinely moved by the children who danced and recited poetry in her honour.

Far more noteworthy, however, were her encouraging words to democratically-challenged Haitians to persevere in their efforts to form a viable government. And she really sealed her reputation as a diplomat of substance, despite her alluring style, when she entreated the international press corps with the following:

“You hear so much just about the danger and the fear and then you come here and you meet just an amazing people….Given just a little chance, and given a little help, this is going to be a great country." 

Indeed! And with this short visit and those few words, Jolie probably did more to resuscitate the image of this beleaguered nation than any world leader or UN peacekeeping force could ever do.

It remains to be seen, however, whether her goodwill mission will inspire Haitians to shun factional violence for wholesome politics and the rule of law; so that their four-times delayed elections could finally be held on 7 February.

Hope springs eternal….

Of course, celebrities fronting charities as just another acting gig has become one of the more cynical trends in the customarily contrived and egocentric entertainment industry. But, like rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof, Jolie stands out as a refreshing exception.

In fact, Jolie has been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) since 2001. She has visited UNHCR operations in many of the poorest and most emphatically unglamorous countries of the world (including starved, diseased and war-ravaged places in Africa).

Moreover, as an international celebrity, Jolie attracts unprecedented media attention everywhere she goes. And this has proved a salutary fringe benefit for the UNHCR.

Because, even though the poor and dispossessed people she greets are never the focus of media interest (as was the case in Haiti), at least their plight receives some heart-wrenching notice by falling within her reflected glow.

But Jolie has also distinguished herself from other celebrities by putting her money where her face is. After all, she has donated millions of dollars to UN relief agencies that are working to alleviate poverty all over the world. 

And to top it all off, with all due respect to Mother Theresa, not since Audrey Hepburn has a bona fide do-gooder looked so good performing charity.

Nonetheless, it would be remiss of me not to comment on the Clinton factor that excites so much interest in Jolie’s public works:

Recently, Jolie revealed her intriguing notions about friendship - where sharing between friends include favors most men only dream about (a.k.a. friends with benefits). Evidently, she does not require monogamy or any emotional commitment to enjoy intimate contact with her male (and female) friends.

Moreover, she seems to live by the categorical imperative that permits consenting adults to behave as they please behind closed doors

And, her notions about nuclear families are no less provocative. Indeed, Jolie has been ridiculed for what cynics describe as her quixotic plan to mother a United Nations of children. And, she became fodder for the tabloids in this regard after she adopted one Vietnamese and one African child.

(Incidentally, Jolie is now famously pregnant with Pitt’s child, so that should cover the American representation amongst the kids in the Jolie-Pitt UN-inspired home.)

Jolie’s is an unconventional approach to building a family, to say the least. But I find her maternal instincts endearing. And, it’s not as if she lacks the means to support her children and give them all the opportunities in life that any child could ever hope for.

Unfortunately, like former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Jolie risks undermining much of her public service by living such a promiscuous and notorious private life.

But I harbour no compunction about praising Jolie for her public works regardless of her personal life (which is hers to live as she pleases; provided it’s legal and does not inflict undue harm on others – notwithstanding Jennifer Anniston’s broken heart).

Besides, it is patently clear that the way she conducts her private life has had no adverse impact on her commendable public service.

Therefore, here’s to Jolie whose family values of charity, diversity and universal love the world would do well to not only appreciate but also emulate!

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