Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
She’s a global pop icon, they are G20 leaders. So what happened when Rihanna tweeted some of the world’s most powerful men to talk about their commitment to education in the developing world?
Well, some of them responded and their exchanges are there for us all to see on social media.
It started earlier this week when the singer and fashion icon, who has 74 million followers on Twitter, publicly messaged the leaders of France, Argentina and Canada, plus the spokesperson for Germany’s Angela Merkel.
Image copyright@RIHANNA/TWITTER
In January, Rihanna travelled to Malawi meeting children at under resourced schools in an initiative with Global Citizen and the Global Partnership for Education, for whom she is an ambassador. The two organisations aim to help fund the teaching of millions of children and young people in developing countries.
Given her superstar status and her previous work with her own charity, the Clara Lionel Foundation, Rihanna urged G20 leaders to discuss the subject when they meet in Hamburg in July.
‘Rihanna we’ve got your back’
It looks like the pop star’s tweets haven’t gone unheard.
Argentinian President Mauricio Macri responded with the tweet: “Hola @Rihanna! Education is at the heart of our political aims. Only education can change the world.”
While Angela Merkel’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert replied with: “Hi @Rihanna, education is a key area of German development policy. We have nearly doubled spending since 2013. Thanks for spreading the word!”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the latest leader to respond to her message, saying “girls’ education is in our feminist international development policy”.
Many of Rihanna’s fans also seemed impressed with her philanthropic efforts. One Twitter user posted: “Rihanna tweeting at world leaders to promote education funding further proves why she’s the greatest woman alive.”
With a following on social media the size of a small country, perhaps Rihanna may get a mention at the G20 summit herself.
By the BBC’s UGC and Social News team