Angelina Jolie has always been a mama bear to her children, but with Zahara heading off to college,
how will their relationship evolve? Here's what we know about the duo's dynamic.
Angelina Jolie is a worldwide superstar, but it's her eldest daughter, Zahara Jolie-Pitt,
who stole the spotlight when they met the president of Ethiopia. To understand why,
though, you have to understand the context of Jolie's relationship with her eldest daughter.
Jolie adopted Zahara in 2005 after visiting an Ethiopian orphanage. Zahara was around
6 months old when Jolie completed the adoption process, joined by her now ex-husband, Brad Pitt.
After bringing Zahara home, Jolie felt her mother's instinct kick on. Her daughter
wasn't drinking as much formula as she should have at her age so Jolie took her
to the doctor. It turned out Zahara had a salmonella infection and was treated with
antibiotics and fluids. Dr. Jane Aronson, who treated Zahara, told People magazine,
"[Jolie] was there 24 hours a day, keeping watch. She kept saying how much she admired
her baby. She had so much admiration and respect for Zahara's strength."
Thankfully, the infant made it through the bacterial infection
and she and Jolie would go on to form a strong and unbreakable bond. And it
was that bond that helped spur Jolie to a number of humanitarian efforts.
When Zahara was three years old,
Jolie established an Ethiopian clinic in her honor. The clinic, named after Zahara,
is designed to help children receive treatment and care for those with tuberculosis, HIV,
and AIDS, and is similar to another children's clinic she established in Cambodia. Jolie said,
"Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are
needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease."
In 2009, Jolie traveled back to Ethiopia with 4-year-old Zahara.
A source close to the family revealed that it was Zahara's
first time back in her native country after being adopted by Jolie, saying,
"The trip was about keeping up that culture for her."
Zahara returned again in 2019 with her mother and sister to meet the first female president
of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde. The women spoke about the importance of the availability of
sanitary pads to young girls so that they don't miss school, as well as the topic of education.
It looks as if Zahara is following in her mother's footsteps and she has since accompanied Jolie to
other important events. In December 2021, Jolie brought along Zahara to Washington
DC to meet women in power to discuss the Violence Against Women Act. Jolie shared
a picture of Zahara with Representative Sheila Jackson Lee on Instagram, writing,
"We need reforms including judicial training,
trauma-informed court processes that minimize the risk of harm to children,
grant programs for technology to detect bruising across all skin tones and create
non-biased forensic evidence collection, and protections for the most vulnerable,"
The following year, Zahara accompanied Jolie to another
important Violence Against Women Act event. Jolie wrote
"Heading into the Senate's introduction of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act,
I'm grateful and humbled to join with dedicated
advocates and legislators. I'm also glad to share in the advocacy with
Zahara — and for her presence to calm my nerves before today's press conference."
It's clear that the bond between the two is quite close,
which made it even more difficult when Zahara left home in 2022 to attend the
historically Black Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. A source told Hollywood Life,
"Sending Zahara off to college has been tough for Angelina, but luckily her kids have been
stepping up to make sure she doesn't get too down about it. They're all teenagers now,
but they're still so in-tune with their mom, they know when she needs some extra TLC."
It looks like Zahara is adjusting nicely and has already bonded with a group of new friends. Jolie
shared an Instagram pic of her daughter posing with her fellow college attendees, writing,
"Zahara with her Spelman sisters! Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very
special place and an honor to have a family member as a new Spelman girl."
"How does it feel to be a Spelman mom?"
"I'm so proud!"
But despite being miles away, Zahara and Jolie still find time to be together – and
their mother-daughter bond remains as strong as ever.