Beyonce performed a set full of female anthems on Saturday at a London concert to raise funds for women’s health, education and justice.
The concert, which organisers hoped would reach a billion viewers, was staged by Chime For Change, a charity started by Italian fashion house Gucci which crowd funds donations for projects to advance gender equality in more than 70 countries.
The Song For Change concert was broadcast live to 150 countries, and on primetime TV in the United States the following day, organisers said.
The “If I Were A Boy” singer was joined on stage by husband and rapper Jay-Z for “Crazy In Love,” but sang stirring anthems of female empowerment for which she is best known alone.
She told the audience that the charity gig had already raised $4m, and urged them to go online and do more during a set lasting 40 minutes that also included short films about women’s issues starring Beyonce.
Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the eight goals set out by the United Nations at the turn of the millennium, yet inequality remains with just 21 percent of seats in national parliaments held by women, according to the Chime For Change website.
