Hollywood star Angelina Jolie visits Rwanda

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie is in town.

Angelina Jolie.

Jolie is visiting in her capacity as the UNHCR goodwill ambassador. She is visiting alongside British Foreign Secretary William Hague. They arrived in Kigali on March 24.

While in Kigali, Hollywood A-lister and mother of six children with partner Brad Pitt, will visit the Genocide Memorial to pay her respects to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. 

Jolie and Hague were due to meet survivors of “warzone rape” in DRC yesterday, but they reportedly reconfigured their schedule due to weather.

Angelina Jolie’s  2011 film, “In The Land Of Blood And Honey,” depicted the experiences of women in the infamous rape camps set up during ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and was a catalyst for the UK initiative, the Foreign Office said.

Jolie said ahead of the trip: “This visit is about hearing first hand from people who have endured rape and sexual violence during the conflict in the Eastern DRC. We want to identify ways in which the international community can help them to rebuild their lives,” according to a statement. 

The Oscar-winning actress and the UK Foreign Secretary are joining forces again to highlight the terrible human cost of warzone rape, and to call for Governments worldwide to address this neglected and growing problem.

Jolie is popular for her role as “Lara Croft” and has starred in blockbuster movies like The Bone Collector with Denzel Washington and Mr. and Mrs. Smith with real life partner Brad Pitt. 

Off screen, Jolie has become prominently involved in international charity projects, especially those involving refugees. She has appeared on countless “most beautiful women” lists, and has a personal life that is avidly covered by the tabloid press. 

In her early years, Angelina began absorbing the acting craft from her parents - her father is the Oscar winning actor Jon Voight and her mother is Marcheline Bertrand.

At age 11, she began studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where she was seen in several stage productions. She undertook some film studies at New York University and later joined the renowned Met Theatre Group in Los Angeles. At age 16, she took up a career in modeling and appeared in some music videos. Her exotic good looks are derived from her mixed ancestry which is Slovak, French-Canadian, Iroquois and English.