Today French president Emmanuel Macron and Robyn Rihanna Fenty are meeting at the Élysée Palace to discuss the promotion of education in developing countries. In June 2017 Rihanna reached out to Emmanuel Macron via twitter, asking for France’s commitment to funding education.

Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012 which aims to improve the quality of life in communities around the globe. In 2016 the Clara Lionel Foundation partnered with the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen, where Rihanna now serves as a Global Ambassador for education. Perhaps it is this reason as to why Emmanuel Macron set an official meeting with Rihanna, or maybe the reason lies beyond the surface. Macron’s intentions most likely originate from his academic background.

Emmanuel Macron received a M.A.S. in philosophy from the University of Paris-Ouest Nanterre La Défense and was once an assistant to French philosopher Paul Ricoeur; a philosopher that described art as a cosmic component of human existence. With the philosophical background that Emmanuel Macron obtains, the action of meeting with an artist with an enormous philanthropic role occurred naturally. Emmanuel Macron understands the importance of art and culture. He is cognizant of the cultural machine that underlies western civilization and he wants to use this cultural machine as the catalyst for transcendental idealism. Now it is obvious as to why Emmanuel Macron accepted a meeting with Rihanna; she is the epitome of the cultural machine. Rihanna is a twenty-first century phenomenon whose art both transcends & embodies the sociological pillars of western civilization; this symbol of universal commonality could not have come at a better time.

At this moment in time Western Civilization has been engulfed by right wing populism, casting a shadow over the arts and humanities. With the rise of nationalism, division, and isolationism the west is in desperate need of commonality. President Emmanuel Macron himself believes in a state of collective solidarity, where the citizens of a democracy march towards universal ideologies; hence his presidential slogan “En Marche!” (Onward). Perhaps it is this hunger for unity that provoked the meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Rihanna; for Rihanna is the embodiment of western culture. Culture is the one universal commonality that transcends the national borders of Western Civilization, unifying entire populations through humanistic values. The meeting between Emmanuel Macron & Rihanna has come to symbolize the representation of western fundamental values; values that encompass human rights, liberty, and art. These are the values that lay at the core of western culture, and it is these values that Macron wants to universalize.

After meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron, Rihanna stated that it was an “incredible meeting” that focused on “education and global aspects”. She will continue her role as a globalized phenomenon, by not only providing art, but by enhancing the quality of life in global communities.