Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Ryan Seacrest, Shakira Lead Social Media Movement for Africa

More than 150 stars of music, fashion, pop culture and sports, including Lady Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Shakira, Sting and Kanye West, are combining their social media might to raise awareness of the growing food crisis in East Africa. On August 9, they’ll each take to their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages with the goal of reaching a global audience of 700 million. The ground-breaking movement supports Save The Children in raising funds for food, water and medicine desperately needed.

At the heart of the campaign: Bob Marley’s 1973 song “High Tide or Low Time” and an accompanying short film created by award-winning director Kevin MacDonald, which can be downloaded via iTunes, on www.imgonnabeyourfriend.org or viewed on the Bob Marley Facebook page.  

The song was specially chosen by the Marley family for its message. Says Rita Marley, Bob Marley’s widow and mother to Stephen Marley:  “Not one child should be denied food nor water. Not one child should suffer. Along with Save the Children, we must stand up together as friends to put a stop to this, to feed our children and to save their lives."

The food crisis in Somalia and across East Africa is the worst in decades affecting 10 million people. One million children in Somalia alone face starvation if help is not delivered now. Save the Children and other aid agencies have launched a huge emergency response across the region and are on the ground delivering life-saving aid.

See a full list of participants after the jump…