Angelina Jolie & William Hague raise awareness of warzone rape in Africa

Here are some photos of Angelina Jolie on Monday in a rescue/refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was part of Angelina’s ongoing work with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague to raise awareness about warzone rape. More than a year ago, Angelina did a high-profile event in England with Hague as part as the Cameron government’s initiative against global sexual violence. Rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse are often tools of modern warfare (they were tools of old warfare as well), and Angelina has met with rape victims and victims of sexual violence many times in her years as ambassador to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. But you know what sucks about this? So many media outlets are focusing on Angelina not wearing her huge engagement ring and instead wearing a simple gold band. This is what is really important, I guess.

Did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie manage to pull off the impossible — a secret wedding in Hollywood? During a trip to a rescue camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, Pitt’s 37-year-old fiancee was spotted with some mysterious new bling on her ring finger: a simple gold band where her giant platinum engagement sparkler used to be.

The Maleficent actress and special envoy of the United Nations’ refugee agency is currently in Africa with British Foreign Secretary William Hague to raise awareness of warzone rape in the Congo and Rwanda. On Monday, March 25, she visited a rescue camp to meet with survivors of sexual violence.

Jolie, who has six kids with longtime love Pitt, pledged last year to devote more time to her humanitarian work. “I wake up in the morning as a mom, and I turn on the news like everybody else, and I see what’s happening,” she said. “I want to be part of the world in a positive way.”

The star noted that her family played a large part in her desire to help others. She and Pitt adopted three of their children from other countries and have made a concerted effort to stay connected to those cultures.

And to each other, of course. Last spring, after seven years together, the World War Z actor popped the question with a ring he designed himself — an emerald-cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds, estimated to be around 16 carats total and worth approximately $500,000.

The A-list couple had said previously that they wouldn’t wed until the ban on gay marriage was reversed, but in January 2012, Pitt hinted that they had changed their minds. “We’d actually like to,” he told The Hollywood Reporter of tying the knot, “and it seems to mean more and more to our kids.”

“We made this declaration some time ago that we weren’t going to do it till everyone can. But I don’t think we’ll be able to hold out,” he continued. “It means so much to my kids, and they ask a lot. And it means something to me, too, to make that kind of commitment.”

[From Us Weekly]

For the love of God. Maybe they’re married, maybe they’re not. Is it so weird/strange/notable that Angelina wouldn’t wear her giant diamond ring when she knew she was going to be meeting rape victims and refugees? But you know how the tabloids will spin this, right? “SCANDAL: Angelina Jolie breaks off engagement, jaunts off to quaint African bed-and-breakfast with married Englishman, also looks anorexic.”

Here’s video of Angelina and Hague on the ground:

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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118 Responses to “Angelina Jolie & William Hague raise awareness of warzone rape in Africa”

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  1. CS says:

    She’s a good person.

    • whatthehell456 says:

      And if she had worn her “huge” engagement ring, she would have been blasted for “rubbing her wealth in the faces of refugees”. Woman can’t win either way.

      Kudos to her for trying to bring this important subject to the attention of the world.

      • T.C. says:

        It would have been in poor taste to show up with that much bling to a refugee camp. She did the right. Rape as a tool of war against these women and child is so horrible. Good on her for bringing attention constantly to this.

      • Amelia says:

        Wasn’t there a bit of a furore about this the last time she went on an aid trip? She generally takes the ring off whenever she does her charity work. I imagine it’s a combination of tact and safety.
        And there’s something about the combination of these two that just makes me laugh 🙂 I imagine Hague is more than happy to be out of The Commons. As politicians go, I find he’s one of the more tolerable ones.
        Lovely to see them supporting such a worthwhile cause. I just can’t criticise Angie, she takes her charity work so seriously. It’s nice to see someone using their celebrity status for good.

      • Hakura says:

        @Amelia – “I just can’t criticise Angie, she takes her charity work so seriously. It’s nice to see someone using their celebrity status for good.

        This was my thought. She isn’t BS-ing for publicity, or faking what she does in ANY way. She loves humanity & hurts for those who suffer needlessly from cruelty & poverty.

    • Bread and Circuses says:

      She is. She’s brave and caring and committed.

      And Chelsea “Vodka-Gargler” Handler thinks she’s “kind of evil”. I can only surmise that Chelsea is kind of stupid.

      • Leah says:

        No Chelsea is not stupid, she only says what she says to get attention plus thumbs up from you know who. Its getting ridiculous now though.

    • Kasia says:

      She is. Unlike vast majority of celebrities, she uses her fame for good causes. She also tries to raise awareness of some problems which do not get enough publicity worldwide. I like her more and more. I wish more celebrities were like this – consistently working for a good cause.

    • Lishka says:

      Forget rubbing anyone’s face in it, wearing jewelry there is fing dangerous! You’d get your hand cut off when robbed! Duh!

      • Hakura says:

        Not that you’re wrong at all, but I’d have a hard time believing she would be in such an obviously dangerous country without at least some form of protection for herself/politician who’s with her.

  2. lisa2 says:

    I so applaud this cause and their efforts. I’m sure this will become about her ring or lack of or how she looks. But par for the course. This is an issue that should concern every woman. I hear all the crap about being a Girls/Girls or whatever. Well to me this is what a Girls/Girls would do. Try and protect women and small girls from being rapped because some war breaks out in their nation. But lets not support women that way.

    I know this a celeb site and people bitch about everything. But goodness can the issue be the center for discussion. But maybe too much to ask.

    I’m not sure if they got married. Angie has never worn her ring in the field. Not sure what the other ring is or means. I’m pretty sure she and Brad are together and the tabloids will of course print what they want. 8 years of doing so shows that wont’ change.

  3. Miss Jupitero says:

    I think wearing gigantic bling to a refugee camp would be in poor taste. Of course she is going to take it off. She there to actually do something, which is why I like her so much.

    • Carolyn says:

      Me too. I just can’t dislike Ange.

      • Eve says:

        “I can’t dislike Ange”

        Me neither. I can’t dislike her even if I try.

      • Miss Jupitero says:

        I try soooooooooo hard! I have to scrunch my face up and cross my eyes! But even that doesn’t work!!

        Why can’t we just clone her or something and distribute her around the world as needed?

      • Asiyah says:

        I have no opinion on Angelina Jolie, but I agree that wearing a giant rock to a refugee camp would be in poor taste. I love that she didn’t wear it.

    • RK says:

      I totally agree. Wearing that giant ring around people who are in need would be so insensitive. I really like her and the CB stories of her charity work. Its good to hear someone doing something kind.

    • LadyJane says:

      I get why a huge blinging ring is tacky in a refugee camp. I do. It is. I just don’t get why people think it isn’t tacky ALL the time. Because I do. It is.

      • Mona says:

        Huh? So are you saying she should NEVER wear her engagement ring? EVER? I’m sure Brad would not be impressed with that. He bought it for her to wear. What else is she going to do with it? You make no sense.

    • littlestar says:

      Same here. I’ve always liked her, even in her younger “wild” days. She actually DOES things, not just says things, if that makes sense. She puts her money where the mouth is, so to speak – I can think of very few celebrities (none come to mind right now actually) who put in as much time and effort for charitable work and women’s issues as she does.

  4. Andrea says:

    I am always amazed by this amazing woman.

    • skuddles says:

      Nicely put Andrea. And I feel the exact same way. Here’s a gorgeous, talented woman who could have coasted through life on her looks, her acting skills, or even her Dad’s celeb status if she wanted – yet she chooses to dedicate considerable time and energy to helping her fellow humans. Angie is good people.

  5. FLORC says:

    People will say terrible things about this woman, but she does so much good! She uses her public status and celeb attention in the most effective way to bring light on worthy causes.

    She’s said before she won’t wear jewelry on those trips. It’s distracts from the message and could make her a target for crime. She dresses down too. You don’t need to look fancy to help.

    • LAK says:

      What???? A world famous woman using her status to highlight causes and charity instead of sitting on beach after beach and crying about privacy when caught at said beach???

      We need to re-train Angelina stat. And while at it, remind her that couture, perfect make up/hair and bling is absolutely essential for these trips. And she mustn’t get too close to the natives. They might soil the couture!!!!

      • FLORC says:

        Haha! I only realised what i wrote after I posted. The sub conscience mind hard at work it seems.

  6. Milou says:

    That women ! Nothing to do criticimisl. She ´ s free. And what´s new about you ? Are you free ?

  7. mandygirl says:

    We need more people like her in this world. She makes it a better place.

  8. Maya says:

    Gee, I wonder why she wouldn’t want to wear her “giant platinum engagement sparkler” when meeting with poverty-stricken refugees! It probably means she slept with Billy-Bob, leaving Brad in tears…or something.

  9. Lolly says:

    We need more celebs who are passionate about causes as she is. You can tell it isn’t an act for her. These issues are important to her. I may not like her but I can’t fault her for this

  10. Blannie says:

    I have nothing but respect for Angelina and her good works. She’s the real deal.

  11. Missy says:

    ……Well she does look anorexic, she really, really does.
    Anyway, I think the real controversial story here is that all of Europe is up in arms about William Hauge running around getting photo ops with an movie star instead of dealing with the Euro financial crisis.

    • bella says:

      could the extreme thinness be the reason why her face looks SO different?

      i am convinced now that her looks are off…this is the 2nd set of photos i’ve seen where her face/eyes look different…VERY different.

      anyone else???

      • FLORC says:

        She’s NOT anorexic. People need to not be so ignorant. She gains weight in her midsection. When she’s plumped up during pregnancy her whole body got larger except her arms and legs.
        I had a room mate in college that gained it all above her hips. When she got really big her legs were toned with no fat and above her hips the fat just sat there like it was on an invisible shelf. It happens.

        She’s also, rumored to have hep c which does cause loss of appetite. She’s bringing light to a good cause. Why attack the woman for her physical appearance instead of listening to the horrible conditions these people have to deal with every day.

        Her forehead wrinkles often Bird. I think it was brad that took some great black and white photos of her a few months ago. She had smooth skin on her forehead, but made silly faces and her forehead could move just fine.

      • bella says:

        FLORC

        C.H.I.L.L.

        this is a gossip site…
        commenting on her thinness and other characteristics of her appearance is fair game.

        it’s not meant to detract from her work.

        i visit the site to escape the seriousness of the world and to indulge in pettiness….geez

      • Emma - the JP Lover says:

        @FLORC, who wrote: “Her forehead wrinkles often Bird. I think it was brad that took some great black and white photos of her a few months ago. She had smooth skin on her forehead, but made silly faces and her forehead could move just fine.”

        Those black and white photographs of Angie, Angie and her kids, and yes … Angie making silly faces were taken by Brad Pitt for the November 2008 edition of “W” magazine. There is a black and white photo of her breastfeeding one of the twins on the cover (the twins had just turned 4 months old when the magazine hit the stands).

        They are incredible photos (Brad has mad skills, baby!). Angie was 5 years younger, but she still has gorgeous skin.

      • EmmaV1 says:

        Her eyes look different because she’s squinting in the sun and it’s harsh lighting and she’s wearing zero makeup?

        In the video link there’s a part where there’s a side view of Angelina’s face and it’s still gorgeous even without makeup.

        Here’s a link to a picture of it too:

        http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/jolieandhague.jpg/

        Plus she’s super thin but hardly anorexic, which people never seem to be able to make the difference.

      • EmmaV1 says:

        Just adding one, here’s a picture from E-Online where you can see her eyes through her sunglasses and same face.

        http://www.eonline.com/news/400956/angelina-jolie-wearing-gold-band-in-place-of-engagement-ring-see-the-pic

        Just because Jolie chooses to wear little foundation on the red carpet (which is kudos to her) she gets slammed for being greasy, old, etc…

        so basically we’re advocating all women should always pile on the makeup.

      • FLORC says:

        Taking chill pill now. I didn’t know when the photos were taken, but he doesn’t seem to age so it’s hard to tell. And yes, Brad is super talented.

        This raises a good point that (can’t believe i’m saying this) Kendall Jenner made. Skinny can be as insulting as fat. Or rather skinny is too easily linked with anorexia and used to attack or judge people unfairly. I doubt KJ meant it this way with her world being as skewed as it is, but in that way skinny is an insult.

    • LAK says:

      @Missy:Are you being deliberately obtuse or do you really not know the difference between a Foreign Secretary and a Financial Secretary nee Chancellor, what their scope of operations entails and who has which job????!!!!

      Hint: William Hague is the Foreign Secretary. Finance isn’t his job, that belongs to George Osborne. It would indeed be alarming if it was George Osborne in the above pics instead of where he currently is ie dealing with the Euro Financial crisis.

    • Jenny says:

      Isn’t he the foreign minister though? Wouldn’t someone assigned to an economic post be more directly responsible for “dealing with the Euro financial crisis?”

      Edit: thank you LAK, you beat me to it! Well to add on, I do think she looks too thin, but I don’t think that should be the takeaway from this story. More important issues at work here.

      • bella says:

        yes, talking about her thinness may take away from what everyone praises as her humanitarian work…and rightly so, but this IS a celebrity gossip site, no?

      • FLORC says:

        Yes, it’s a gossip site and yes it has “bitchy” in the name, but it has legit news stories on it too that are well covered.

        So when I see “Angelina Cures Cancer” on a gossip site i’ll end up reading comments saying… “Why is she getting praise? she’s a home wrecker!”. Eh. It’s too much to ask. I know.

        She should gain some weight and then get back to preventing brutal rape. Priorities.

      • bella says:

        true, FLORC.

        i do learn lots about hard news on this site.

        my comments are petty and superficial sometimes which doesn’t mean i don’t appreciate the deeper message in the story…that’s all i wanted to clarify.

      • FLORC says:

        We all get caught up in that Bella. My outburst was more that I hoped the message in the story wasn’t dismissed because it comes from an actress that some people don’t like. I hope everyone takes it to heart since rape is not just a physical and mental attack, but it devalues the women in that society for not being a virgin. They become outcasts on top of it all.

  12. Jane says:

    These are the types of things that deserve time and energy and cover stories, but get diminished by emphasizing whether or not she is wearing her ring.

    She works hard, usually without fanfare, on difficult issues. Bless her for what she does.

    And she is going to be hanging out with other women (and men) of substance at the Women in the World Summit next week. Good on her!!!

  13. watchingyoubitch says:

    ^for you,for me and a lot of people Hague and jolie are doing a great job.

  14. Mich says:

    Meh. It totally depends on the outlet covering the story. Serious publications are talking about why she is in the DRC, rags are talking about the ring.

  15. Esmom says:

    Good for her. Agreed that she walks the walk when it comes to causes that matter to her. She is making a difference, at the very least on the awareness front.

    Is it me or does Mr Hague look a little giddy to be near her in a couple of the shots? Cute.

  16. LAK says:

    My superficial thoughts: Mr Hague is the wittiest Yorkshireman I’ve had the pleasure to encounter.

    Serious thoughts: one the one hand this crisis, on the other the west funds these things in the hopeless hope that developmental aid/charity will put a stop to all the war. It really is dead aid.

    • spinner says:

      It really is dead aid.

      Yes.

      Sad, but true.

    • Mich says:

      Ooooh! Don’t get me started on how responsible the West (first Belgium, then the US, then World Bank/IFC and then the LSE-listed mining companies) are for the majority of what is happening in the DRC today.

      Under colonial rule, some 10,000 Belgians handled all the important administrative and public responsibilities in the DRC. At the time of independence (which happened virtually overnight in 1960), there were fewer than 12 Congolese university graduates (keeping the masses uneducated was done on purpose). Unlike the British, the Belgians did nothing to ensure a lasting infrastructure. They announced they were leaving and six months later, were gone. Then came the US-backed Mobutu who stole 40% of the country’s wealth while creating an external debt of US$8 billion. Then came forced privatization of national mineral assets for the benefit of Western companies who have made billions on the LSE and other exchanges based on the supposed worth of those mines while making no attempt to actually extract the assets. The DRC only benefits from its mining concessions when mining actually happens.

      p.s. I’m not saying that the West is responsible for the rape of women and children but it sure has done its part to habitually dehumanize the Congolese and create conditions where such atrocities become more common.

      • Thinker says:

        It’s too easy to blame others. Institutions, governments, spirits and witchcraft, it’s all the same – they serve to remove responsibility from the individual. Yet the reality is only you, alone you, can control your own behavior. Allowing a child rapist to throw up their hands and say “I was possessed” or “Western society is responsible” — That does nobody any favors. Western society is far from perfect, but its better than most in providing protection for individual rights and liberties. We all live within the confines of history, culture, and government, we all make different choices because of various pressures in our lives. But – Individuals must be held accountable for their misdeeds. The reality is massive numbers of Rwanadan men picked up machetes and killed their neighbors during the genocide years, then abdicated all responsibility by claiming they were possessed. The humans who were personally responsible for murder were not held accountable. The men who terrorize women and children in these countries are not held accountable, and their favorite excuse is that Western powers have ruined their country.

      • Ms Kay says:

        One word : Omerta.

      • LAK says:

        @Mich: You are preaching to the choir here ie me. I’ve lived and survived various wars-talk about my parents/grandparents jumping into worse fires when trying to escape the last one!!! There are generations of my family who lived through the colonialists through to the current crapfest. From Lybia to Namibia. (We couldn’t get into South Africa with African passports, SA govt forbade it). The tales they and I could tell!!

        I am forever grateful that I live in the UK now.

        Ps:- you forgot the IMF and The chinese and the oil companies and what they are doing in all the other places. I actively avoid any place that has Shell or BP.

        And it’s funny how the CIA rarely gets a mention for it’s african activities.

        And another thing, I know for a fact that my former country, is heavily invested in what goes on with it’s neighbours to the advantage of various PTB. Those camps are maintained for a very specific reason which is advantageous to all.

        @Thinker – spoken like a person who never studied colonial history in Africa and doesn’t know or understand what the colonialists did to create the sort of atmosphere that would have a person butcher there neighbour.

        The loyalty to tribe is still such a strong instinct even today, and when centuries old enemies are forced to not just live together when they had avoided it before, but also for one tribe to lord it over the other…..what happened in Rwanda was so predictable am surprised it took so long. It’s the same things happeneing in many wars in Africa with added western incentives of various kinds. And those Africans know that western people don’t understand the rule of tribe, so they tell you what you want to hear or can understand so they can get on with their lives.

      • Mich says:

        @ Thinker

        You are obviously very bright but your understanding of the situation on the ground and the manipulation STILL being done by the west is sorely lacking. It will take generations for the DRC to get even close to truly being able to correct these legacy problems. I’ll let you know when my book on the subject comes out 😉

        @ LAK
        The Chinese actually have an unfairly bad rap in Africa – largely because they are threatening Western interests. The former Vice Minister of Mining in the DRC once told me that they love the Chinese because “they speak poor”. When the Chinese state owned enterprises come in they coordinate their own consumption needs with the DRC’s development needs. Not only do they outbid Western companies for mining rights, they agree to buy everything mined and pay a guaranteed percentage on top of that. They also agree to build hundreds of schools and hospitals, roads and new deep water ports.

        Because colonists only built roads connecting points of extraction with ports (unlike what they did to interconnect the Indian sub-continent) getting to resources takes a lot of investment. Western companies use this as an excuse to get enormous tax breaks but Chinese companies take it in stride. There are obviously labour issues but Chinese investment in desperately needed infrastructure is huge. And it is particularly important because the West often fails to live up to pledges.

        In Zambia, when LSE-listed companies were making literal billions off their Zambia mining contracts – the Zambian government only pulled in US$11 million in taxes on those mines. Pretty hard to develop when the coffers are empty!

      • Mich says:

        @ LAK

        I love when you post on your family’s history in Africa! I always want to know more!!

      • LAK says:

        @Mich – i would love to read your book when it comes out or if we can work out a way to exchange personal details so we can get in touch outside CB.

        the chinese bother me simply because of the numbers of chinese people they have bussed in to work on their projects. It’s similar to how the British bussed in Indians to work on their projects and the eventual problems that caused. It seems as though history is repeating itself, but with chinese people.

        My family’s time in Africa feels like a dream sometimes. So much happened and we experienced so much i sometimes think it was all a dream. until a relative brings it up in conversation or you meet a survivor who wants to rehash events.

        BTW- i recently saw a brochure for Emeralds auction which had details of Zambian mines….i was so furious after reading it, so i am not at all surprised by your figures.

      • Leen says:

        I’m not speaking solely for Africa as I do not know a lot about it (although yes colonialism has done a lot of damage to the region) but Chinese companies are more favored din North Africa and the Middle East rather than western companies, mostly because they are deemed as the ‘underdog’ towards Western companies.

        Also, I can’t help stressing how the aid-economy props up conflicts like this. It just serves as another incentive to prolong the war because people benefit from it and destroys the local economy.

      • Mich says:

        @ Leen

        Sadly, it isn’t just the legacy of colonialism Africa is dealing with. Often overlooked in post-independence progress discussion is the fact that the Cold War ran hot here. Many of the bloody civil wars everyone loves to call characteristic of the continent were driven by the US and USSR. Countries torn to shreds by the power struggle include Angola, DRC, Namibia, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan and Uganda. In South Africa, there is no way Apartheid would have lasted as long as it did without heavy US support. Mandela was classified as a terrorist in the US until the Bush Administration – something that apparently mortified Rice.

        My last interesting factoid for the day – for every dollar in aid given to Africa, around 80 cents goes back to the west.

        What Africa needs is investment – Asia and the Middle East get this and are investing heavily. The West doesn’t get it and instead focuses on aid. General consensus is that the West has pretty much missed the boat. Too bad. Despite the headlines, the continent has made enormous progress over the last 20 years and has some of the fastest growing GDPs in the world.

      • El says:

        Thank you LAK and Mich for your addition to this conversation. It’s worth noting too that the educated sector of Congolese people are virtually unemployed unless they have some sort of (corrupt) government connection. In addition, Congolese people largely believe that their (shoddy election at best) “president” is Kagame’s puppet and that Rwanda is bleeding the country dry; raping (and purposefully spreading HIV through sexual assault of men, women and children as well as other atrocities I can’t even fathom) pillaging and causing the unrest to mask their actions. It just calls to mind Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” because of the mass exploitation and lack of aid (don’t get me started on what the peace keeping troops are allegedly up to…hinthint; generally nothing, sometimes underage prostitutes…allegedly)
        As to witchcraft…I personally have never heard that excuse. Ever. But it’s really hard to get any reliable information on the region.
        P.S. HI LAK!!!

      • Amelia says:

        A completely pointless addition to the conversation, but this ^^ is why I love C/B 🙂
        I always learn so much from other commenters, thank you LAK, Mich & El for your really fascinating posts.
        I’ve done a bit of charity work and spent a couple of months working in Uganda and the borders of the DRC and Rwanda were an absolute no-go zone for us, but my knowledge of the DRC and Central/West Africa is sorely lacking! I feel woefully ignorant about these matters, and I feel even worse knowing that so many people are being subjected to so much pain and I’ve haven’t the foggiest idea why!
        So, thanks for giving me a place to start 🙂

      • Mich says:

        @ Amelia

        A great place to start learning more about the history of the DRC is with the book King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild. It explains the atrocities committed between 1885 and 1908 – a time in which an estimated HALF of the indigenous population died (an estimated 10 million people killed). It is gruesome reading – children’s hands chopped off as punishment for parents delivering their rubber quotas late, etc.

        Another good resource is http://www.getloud.ca/en/gpi_issues.asp?id=12 which gives a top line overview of the historical events that have led to the current situation.

        The BBC also has a good top line overview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11108589

      • Leen says:

        Ah yes, the Cold War and post-independence transition was also detrimental. There’s one subject that I always find fascinating is South Africa. You are right, there is no way apartheid would have lasted as long as it did. Even when the entire world was shifting, US was South Africa’s lifeline. It’s also astonishing that it was only 20 years ago that people were classified according to their race. And that is correct, Nelson Mandela was removed from the terrorist list in 2008.

        Very true. Also there seems to be a heavy investment project and encouraging entrepreneurship in Africa (Kenya is becoming the hub of this!).
        But yes the concept of ‘aid to Africa’ can have a detrimental effect on the society and economy. There seems to be a lot of talk of ‘do no harm’ type of aid where less is more, as aid-economies are hard to break but at the same time are not sustainable.

      • maitrid says:

        Yes, and the british not only left an infrastructure, but left people to continue maintenance and trained africans to do so…the belgians literally destroyed on purpose, their infrastructure. It’s crazy when you think about it: a population becomes somewhat used to some modern infrastructure, but has no training or rights, and in fact not used to or allowed to think for themselves…imagine what the psyche is like, attempting to catch up to a different reality,a nd then to have it destroyed overnight? Just very confusing and yes, if a country was colonized for decades or more, you can bet it will take at least that long, my estimate is 2x as long, actually, for said country to regroup and develop a new identity and political structure. Unfortunately, int he meantime, you have new situations-mining as you mentioned, and oil industrry, plus US and Chinese political and economic interests, going in and further creating instability to gain influence in a region. I’m talking the African continent as a whole now, not just CRC.

        I highly recommend a book that is a couple of decades old by now, but a classic: Lords of Poverty, by Graham Hancock.

        Oh yea, i lived in kenya for a couple of years and saw much firsthand. Many refugees from multiple conflicts, residing in kenya now, which has its own problems anyway….

      • Hakura says:

        I agree wholeheartedly with you, Amelia. I’m so glad that you all decided to continue your discussion here on CB, as opposed to email. The information & emotional insight you’ve given with you insightful posts is priceless to someone like me, who is also completely ignorant of what’s been/is currently, happening to these countries & it’s people.

        I’ll shamefully admit, the saying ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ can often be true, something I have retreated to when seeing how negative, horrible & inhuman things are for others, or even for issues like corruption in governments, & crime organizations, both in other countries & our own.

        I tend to do that most when it feels like there’s no way to fix something, which is so frustrating & depressing. I’ve never been one who deals well with angst & depression (already having a medical issue with depression I’m trying to help), so it’s especially hard to reach out & push myself to seek these facts out.

        Seeing it here, although still frustrating & depressing stories, has made it easier for me to read. Especially hearing opinions from more than one source.

        You guys are awesome! =D

    • Asiyah says:

      Dead aid, indeed. So sad.

  17. LL says:

    Good for her. I really love when people ‘walk the walk’. She’s one woman who really trying to make a difference and I really like that about her.

    Even though this is an gossip website, some of these comments about her looks are so unnecessary. The people that keeping bringing up her looks should wait until Celebitchy posts a gossip story from some dumb tabloid, then you go and talk about her looks, her kids and other trivial stuff. Those would be more fitting for those posts then in a post about helping raise awareness about rape.

    When you bring up silly things up in post like some of the comments above it makes you look/sound really immature, insensitive and just plain dumb.

  18. Karen says:

    Kate Middleton shows her sapphire ring and pregnant belly to families that recently lost children. So Angie should totally be wearing her diamonds and maybe show a little leg too, am I right?

    All joking aside, Angelina has always taken her UN missions seriously, more than just a photo op for her. I’m glad she has stayed commited and continues to bring awareness to such difficult but important issues.

  19. Guesto says:

    Aw man. What can you do with a media that can look at women and kids in such bleak and traumatic situations and then focus on what Jolie is or isn’t wearing? It must be so disheartening for all those who work so hard to try and effect change.

    Keep on keeping on, Angie.

    @lisa2 at 7:40 am
    I hear all the crap about being a Girls/Girls or whatever. Well to me this is what a Girls/Girls would do. Try and protect women and small girls from being rapped because some war breaks out in their nation. But lets not support women that way.

    ^ Perfectly put.

  20. Kim says:

    I just read about the five year old being raped by the Congolese army next to a police station.I think about my daughters as I am sure AJ thinks about hers.I just read that Angelina will be honoring Malala at the Women in the World conference next week.Building schools for girls ,highlighting rape in warzone,honoring a girl who risked her life by being an education activist.The true definition of a girl’s girl the antithesis of Handler.

    • Happymom says:

      This exactly. Chelsea Handler is such a small, superficial, negative, petty person.

  21. kc says:

    Agree. The “Ringgate” is mind blowingly insensitive.

    Good for Angie and the many other unrecognized people who are working to make a difference.

  22. decorative item says:

    I wish someone would start raising “corrective rape” awareness. Sweden and Norway are having a horrid time with roving groups of Muslim men raping women and children who they feel don’t dress appropriately in public. One 14 year old girl was out walking her dog and was gang raped, (because they always do it in a mob) she later killed herself. Another woman was beaten so badly they couldn’t tell if she was male or female at first. In Sweden over 90% percent of all rapes are committed by Muslims. Don’t even get me started on what they do to their own women. Sorry, I just couldn’t hold the tirade in.

    • Kim says:

      Im confused are you saying non Swedish Muslim men are raping Swedish citizens and are not being arrested and or prosecuted?

      • decorative item says:

        Yes I am. Sorry, it’s a hot topic for me.
        Google it, you will find loads of information.

      • Emma - the JP Lover says:

        @Kim …

        It sounds like she’s saying exactly that. How sad!

        In 2004, 47-year-old Dutch film maker Theo Van Gogh (yes, a distant relative of Vincent Van Gogh) was shot and stabbed to death for producing a film interpreted as ‘critical of Islam’ that aired two months prior to his death.

        The 10-minute film titled “Submission,” co-produced with a Somali woman Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is about four women who during prayer described to God the physical and sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of the men in their lives.

        The killer was a 26-year-old man of Dutch and Moroccan nationality. He left passages from the Koran on the body.

        People in the Netherlands were outraged as they too have a large Muslim immigrant population.

        Here is the New York Times article about the crime:

        http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/international/europe/03dutch.html?_r=0

      • Bijlee says:

        @emma you do know ayaan hirsi ali is a neo con. a staunch neo con. She’s just as frightening in what she says to liberals as some staunch republicans say to conservatives. It’s all bigotry. She’s gone on record to be anti-immigration. WTF??? SHE IS AN IMMIGRANT. She’s unbelievably hypocritical. She’s a woman who has made her money pandering to an audience. Richard Dawkins does the same. And I’m sorry to say but Hitchens did too (although he made far better points than Dawkins or Ali and that other guy whose name escapes me…he’s a neuroscientist).

        Sweden utterly confuses me. I thought it was a pretty liberal society with great equality for men and women, but then they have some of the highest rape statistics in the world. Japan is nowhere near their level of equality yet has the lowest (mainly because it’s underreported and Japan has a highly patriarchal society). South Africa has a rape statistic lower than Sweden’s and isn’t South Africa MORE dangerous than Sweden?

        Sweden is very anti-religion. Majority of the Swedish people are atheist, agnostic, or irreligious. Most of the immigrants yes are Muslim. And what happens when your immigrants have low levels of employment, are foreign born, and on top of that many are religious? Well usually the right wingers blame all the countries problems on them.

        I’m not saying that your statistics are completely false, but they can misrepresent the picture. There seems to be some biased sampling going on too. Let it be said I would rather live in Sweden where reporting rape isn’t a shameful thing, but is in other parts of the world.

      • Emma - the JP Lover says:

        @Bijlee, who wrote: “@emma you do know ayaan hirsi ali is a neo con. a staunch neo con. She’s just as frightening in what she says to liberals as some staunch republicans say to conservatives. It’s all bigotry. She’s gone on record to be anti-immigration. WTF???”

        Theo Van Gogh wasn’t murdered like a dog on a quiet street in Amsterdam because of anything Ayaan Hirsi Ali said, he was murdered because he dared make a 10-minute film about four Muslim women praying to God about the physical and sexual abused they’d suffered from the men in their lives. Can you comment about that or what life in Amsterdam was like just after the murder? I’d love to hear your views abut this.

        Again @Bijlee, who wrote: “Sweden is very anti-religion. Majority of the Swedish people are atheist, agnostic, or irreligious. Most of the immigrants yes are Muslim. And what happens when your immigrants have low levels of employment, are foreign born, and on top of that many are religious? Well usually the right wingers blame all the countries problems on them.”

        Then a logical question would be: why would a group of highly religious people choose to immigrant to a largely atheist country? Logic dictates that citizens of the largely atheist country aren’t going to suddenly get religion, nor change their outspoken ways because their immigrant guests insist upon the change.

        But this thread, and my point in posting the New York Times article about the murder of Theo Van Gogh, is about the girls and women and what they often have to endure. I’m not just talking about the four Muslim women in the Van Gogh/Hirsi Ali film, I’m also talking about the young woman gang raped on a public bus by men in India who felt they had the right to do so. I’m talking about the gang rapes in Egypt, and how religious members in the government have blamed the women for their own rapes.

        I am a woman. Those girls and women who have been thoughtlessly raped, beaten, and murdered like discarded bits of garbage are my daughters and sisters, regardless of their race, age, culture, are religion. I don’t care about the politics or why such men are driven to commit these crimes against people they view as property … I care, very much, that they ‘do’ commit these crimes in the name of religion.

        I care about the girls and the women getting brutally raped (even here in Ohio). Their pain an humiliation belongs to all girls and women.

      • Leen says:

        @Emma, you ask why countries immigrate largely to Europe or rather ‘atheist’ countries. You are familiar with the concept of colonialism, no? Countries that were colonized tend to immigrate to the countries that were either colonialists or part of the same region/culture.

        At the same time, I hope you are not implying that the majority of Muslims commit these violent crimes as such. Firstly, you are painting one billion people with the same brush. Secondly, just because a group of people who commit violent acts in the name of religion does not make them representative of their religions. Let’s not forget, Christians in Nigeria regularly burn and abuse children accused of witchcraft, yet I am not saying this is what all christians do! Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn and Israel have been found to be molesting Yeshiva boys, yet I am not saying all Jews are pedophiles.

        But then you have millions of women who were raped not because of religion, who were murder not because of anything. It is ironic that you bring in this discussion when you realize we are talking about a situation of rape used a warfare tool. These millions of women were raped in the DRC during war, for power and control. That’s what rape and sexual abuse is about; power and control. It is nothing to do with religion.

      • Bijlee says:

        @emma the movie was four fictional women played by an actress. Sorry that movie was made to be disrespectful and incite anger. They wrotie it with the explicit intent of incinting shock and fury.

        You could dwatch a documentary about the same issues who get the message across beautifully without inciting hate, there are quite a few good ones. Watch saving face a documentary by a Pakistani woman about the frequent acid attacks in Pakistan.

        Did theo van gough deserve to get killed for what he said??? HELL NO, not at all what I’m saying. I’m looking at that film in terms of its merit and intent.

        People were in shock and rightly so. It was like a terrorist attack over something so trivial and stupid. A movie no one cared about or anything. but there’s complicated issues present here that I’m too tired to go into on my iPad.

        Also you’re point about immigrants come to your land. Wow every conservative I know says these things. Don’t get mad when Pakistanis hate the west for drone attacks then. Or fafghanis for what they perceive the west has done to their country. Same with Iraq. Same with all these countries. There’s just too many to name.

        People have made points up far above about imperialism and it’s effects. People are still living from the effects of imperialism to this day. It sounds crazy but it’s true. We here in America, BRITAIN, etc have largely benefited from it while others have suffered.

    • Sweet Dee says:

      That is awful. I’m ashamed to say I did not know about that. I’m going to research this and try find the facts. Thank you for raising awareness in ME. As some people are challenging this assertion, I will try and do the work independently to make up my own mind.

      • Bijlee says:

        If you’re going to do the research, then let me say that most of this is perpetuated by the Swedish Democrats who are a FAR RIGHT party in Sweden. They’re liberal when it comes to issues like abortion and homosexulaity. But very conservative on immigration and foreign policy and are highly nationalistic.

        Everyone shits on America all the time on its problems, but the reality is every country in the world has problems with extremism and staunch liberals or conservatives. Every country in the world.

      • Sweet Dee says:

        Thanks, Bijlee. You’re right. The only support for this I found was from very conservative, anti-Muslim media outlets and blogs. Some American, some European.

        I think that truthfully, this did happen a few times, but it was not an endemic, nor even very prevalent occurrence. Every religion has their nuts, and this is what Islamic nuts do, but it’s not as though they are any more prominent than the Christian nuts who promote these stories.

        Oh well, long live free thought!

    • Leen says:

      And you have the statistics to back it up? Otherwise, you are preaching Islamophobia.

      By the way I checked the statistics and only 20% of the crimes are perpetuated by foreigners (not enough info on the breakdown of statistics of rape).

    • videli says:

      Decorative Item: I googled the issue, the way you suggested, and, using the wording you provided, my top search gave me a few right-wing, nativist, and neo-Nazis sites. I am NOT moving further with this. Sorry, but I think the burden of the argument rests with you.

    • maitrid says:

      You are so right-but as long as we have people crying ‘cultural relativism’ [that great word that has been used to justify female circumcision, domestic abuse against women, child abuse, slavery, etc] as well as crying ‘neo colonialism’ every time a ‘western’ country points out a glaring problem like rape and abuse of women, or ‘religious freedom’ is going to be destroyed if we point out practices related to a religious culture, well, we will never get anywhere as women.

      And, when muslim young women want to cover up, as show of cultural pride [here in southern california this occurs, although we don’t know how much is related to inner group peer pressure or fear to do so, but we are told it is wanting to represent one’s culture and religion]…well, this does not create a stand of unity for women, against these practices.

      Even here in southern california, there was a ‘shame/honor killing’ of a young woman, within a muslim family, andt he father is being investigated, but they tried to pin it on a m ade up ‘african american suspect’.

      • Leen says:

        For the record, I don’t believe in cultural relativism if it violates one of the tenants of human rights. I define myself as a classic liberal (yet I believe in robust liberalism when it comes to multiculturalism), I am currently living in a Muslim majority Country, I was raised in a Muslim-Christian family and I define myself as agnostic. Anyone who knows me thinks I’m an atheist for some reason (because I don’t believe in organized religion). My father mother and brother are the same too. Yet I had never, ever encountered any prejudice against my beliefs from the Muslims. Not even once. But I have suffered hate crimes in Europe Beause I was ‘falsely’ thought to be a Muslim.
        Don’t get me wrong I know there are problems with rape and domestic abuse (as in EVERY country), yet these issues are linked to partriachal structure and society, not religion.

        And yes your post does come off as islamophobic. Why? Because you are attributing all these stereotypes without backing it up with concrete statistics and evidence. You probably never went to a Muslim country, and I doubt you know much history of Muslim countries/the Middle East. Also you seem to display a lot of ignorance regarding immigration patterns. For instance up until last year, do you know why these ‘religious Muslims’ immigrated? Because they were suppressed by the government for being Islamist. Up until 2 years ago, the majority of middle eastern countries (with the exception of the gulf areas which fun fact are protected by te US and western countries) were mor or less secular authoritarianism.

        As for the hijab, there is nothig wrong with the hijab as long as it is not forced. Just as there is nothing wrong with running around in a bikini. But here lie in te difference, some women are forced to wear the hijab and some women are forced to objectify themselves (especially those who are trafficked), and it is usually hard to differentiate who is being forces and who is not. But the acts themselves are not wrong (te niqab is a whole other issue, and I actually support banning the niqab in the public sphere. Lets not forget countries like turkey outright banned the hijab, so your ‘Muslim countries suppress everyone is’ sort of right but they suppress religion which is a difference.

        Oh and honor killings isn’t restricted in Muslims. It’s practiced by Hindus, Christians, sikhs and Jews unfortunately. It used to be a roman and Greek practice but unfortunately it got absolved by Mesopotamia.

    • Pyaara boy says:

      Its true and DIRECT… Our ever so politically correct media wouldnt show it….. Most come here to get away from the unstable societies they come from but when they settle down they want the laws bent backwards for them… No other group is so demanding and aggressive as Muslims….
      When we speak out we are labelled Islam ophobes…. Yeah rite… In Islamic countries non Muslims cant even breathe let alone freedom(except maybe 3 countries of 56 like Malaysia,Bali) but all of then collectively want special rights in western world!
      The phobia guilt we are accused of by the media and them is unwanted because they should first clean their own backyard!

  23. decorative item says:

    And, yes I know not all Muslims do this, but there is a group that target women and gay/lesbian people.

    • Janet says:

      This is the first I heard about gang rape being a problem in Sweden but it is endemic in India and Egypt. And the authorities blame the women.

    • dahlianoir says:

      What in the actual f*ck ?
      I googled your bullshit and found only incomplete right wing sources.
      Rape is rape, disgarding the religion and focusing (supposedly) on one religion only shows how racist and ignorant you are.

      You talk about rape in India ? Done by Hindouists

      Egypt ? Muslim men

      France ? Thousands of victims never press charges EVERY YEAR

      Usa ? Women soldiers just shut their mouths when harassed or worse.

      Rape is fucking rape and linking it to a religion only serve to target a population while hiding others crimes.

      I’m French, sorry for the bad english but targeting muslims seem to be the trend. It used to be black men, jews, communists, koreans… Think by yourself.

      • Mich says:

        Well said. Based on your comments I did a quick search and learned two things:

        1. This is an issue that started and is still most prevalent in the country I live in (South Africa). It has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.

        2. Some conservative Christians in America have expressed similar beliefs. Most prominent has been Joseph A. Rehyansky (a part-time magistrate) who was quoted as saying in an online interview that while gay men should not be allowed to serve in the military, lesbians should to give “straight male GIs a fair shot at converting lesbians and bringing them into the mainstream.”

      • Janet says:

        @Mich: “Bring them into the mainstream” how? By raping them into “normality”? That guy is a freaking psycho.

      • maitrid says:

        You are right, but I think the comment re: muslims was a slight tangent related to how cultural and religious beliefs condone this violence.
        All countries are not the same in this regard.

    • Leen says:

      The biggest irony of all of this is committing rape is punishable by death in a lot of Muslim majority countries (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia).

      And I think you are putting this unfairly on Muslims. Let’s not forget the rape capital of the world is not in a Muslim-majority city. It is in the heart of DRC which is 95% Christian. So your claim is not very supported.

      • Bijlee says:

        Except each country has its problems. Rape is punishable by death. But when idiots are in power of course they take advantage of it. Pakistan’s laws on rape are just asinine according to my Pakistani friend. India’s aren’t much better, but at least we have these gals doing something http://www.gulabigang.in/

      • Leen says:

        Bijlee, I know. We are talking about two countries that one is undergoing a revolution process, the other is in and out of a civil war/military coup/etc.

        But I just think it is ironic, which I also theorize where all the ‘victim-blaming comes from’. So not to reckon with the death penalty. For the record, having lived in a Middle Eastern country, I know that rape and sexual harrassment is not taken lightly. A person who is found to be be a rapist can receive a public beating and become a pariah in society. One person who was found to kidnap, rape and kill a 4 year old was publicly lynched. It might be barbaric but it happens, a lot (public lynchings and beatings of rapists I mean). But this cannot be said for all ME countries. I prefer non-violent and police persecutions. There’s an awesome campaign in Egypt to publically shame sexual harrassers by marking them in the streets.

      • Bijlee says:

        Yeah I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make light of what you’re saying.

  24. mimi says:

    I think it’s great that she is bringing awareness to all those things we don’t even think about but, unfortunately, they happen every day.

    This is so importnat that at least one celebrity takes their time and fame and brings attention to those horrible things.

  25. Helvetica says:

    She has to have an eating disorder.

    Picture #3–she looks like she’s 50.

    • Kim says:

      OK we get it she looks horrible how do you feel about warzone rape? Majoring in the minor ,SMH

  26. Grace says:

    This is a wonderful thing that she’s doing. These psychotic men need to start having their food poisoned lol. It worked back on the American plantations when the rich folk thought it was great sport to regularly rape the Black, Irish, Native, and Mexican female slaves. It can work everywhere else.
    Start pickng the right herbs and mushrooms, serve them at dinner, and by morning all of these horrible men will be explaining their issues to God.
    Women need to unite in this matter.

  27. KellyinSeattle says:

    The vibe that I get is that she really knows how to love people. She’s not cute, she’s not pretty – she’s gorgeous/beautiful! It’s like she transcends the ordinary. I like how she and Brad seem supportive of each other, focusing on the important things. I admire her for her humanitarian acts and it seems like she’s genuine/not staged.

  28. Sweet Dee says:

    She’s doing a good thing here, more celebrities should use their fame for positive change. Indeed, it would have been in very poor taste to show up with her ring, but she makes a habit of not wearing jewelry when she’s doing her UN work.

    And I get that this is a celebrity gossip site, and her looks are fair game. I totally do. Maybe it’s just me and my new commitment to stop bashing other women for their physical appearances, but it strikes me as petty, backwards, and ignorant to bash her for not living up to stupid beauty standards while the woman is dealing with rape victims.

  29. Asiyah says:

    I am very upset that the focus of her trip was on her fingers instead of on the actual purpose of the trip. This, of course, isn’t her fault (nor yours, CB). Society has really warped priorities.

  30. Jennifer12 says:

    Rape is sickening in and of itself; to use it as a warzone tactic is so revolting that I can’t find words. Watching those poor women in Bosnia, in the Sudan…. who cares if they’re married or engaged? Kudos to them for raising awareness of this cruelty.

  31. Kim says:

    God Bless them both and everyone who works for this cause.

  32. d b says:

    Bless her for trying to raise consciousness about rape. It’s all too easy to forget when we see the news that war pretty much means rape for women the world over. As for her ring, wearing a diamond in Congo is probably the height of bad tatste, no? Even if it is not a “conflict” diamond

  33. Hakura says:

    I feel I have to make two comments. I’m going to express myself the best I can, because this story emotionally affected me so much.

    Jesus Christ.

    Who. The flying. F*CK. would focus on what f*cking RING she’s wearing, while she stands, surrounded, by people suffering so much agony at the hands of war’s cruelty?!?

    Or focus on whether she & Brad managed to have a ‘secret wedding’? What is WRONG with these ASSHOLES? It’s like they’re completely incapable of *empathy*. It makes me sick.

    *Deep Breath* Ah. Feel much better now.

  34. Hakura says:

    Comment #2 — I’ve never thought too much about Angie one way or another, but seeing the work she does, the respect she has for humanity (even making sure she doesn’t flaunt wealth, even by accident, while with these people (Most of which likely impoverished).

    It’s caused me this *rush* of affection for her. People can say whatever they want about her, but it will *never* change the things she does to help others.

    I also think it’s beautiful that she not only adopted from other cultures, but makes the effort to teach the children about their heritage from day 1.

    Kick ass, Angie!

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