1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,360 Speaker 1: Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club Morning. 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 2: Everybody is DJ Envy Jess Hilarious, Charlamage the God We 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 2: are the Breakfast Club Lol. The Roses here as well. 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 2: We got a special guest in the building. Yes, sir, 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 2: the founder and CEO of Afro Future, Abdullah Welcome, brother, 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 2: pleasure to be here with y'all. 7 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: How are you feeling? I feel real good. Thanks for God. Man. 8 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 3: Tell people what what Afro Future is from. 9 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, Afrofuture is a cultural Emerson platform that we created 10 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 4: in Ghana to celebrate African culture and also to just 11 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 4: break it down to people in a way that's direct. 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 4: We celebrate food, fashion, art, and obviously music as well. 13 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 4: In my opinion and our team opinion, we feel like 14 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 4: equal parts of all of this gives you a clear 15 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 4: understanding of what it's like to visit the continent and 16 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 4: that's what we've been doing for the past eight years, 17 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 4: inviting people back to Ghana and for the first time 18 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 4: ever was showing up in Detroit. 19 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 3: So now I was at the last Afro. 20 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: Yes you was. You was at the last one. 21 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 3: That's when y'all announced it was gonna be a the 22 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 3: next year. 23 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: That's correct. 24 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 4: It was an opportunity for us to really kind of 25 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 4: grow beyond what we've been. I mean, right now, we 26 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 4: know that one in ten people by twenty fifty is 27 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 4: going to be African. Africa is the youngest continent. There's 28 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 4: just a lot of opportunity, and there's been so much 29 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 4: misinformation about Africa for so long. I grew up here, 30 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 4: I'm like my house, I'm the American kid, but when 31 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 4: I went out to school, I was the African kid. 32 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 4: So the best way I could do is just kind 33 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 4: of bring the world together, and that's what we've been 34 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 4: trying to do with this festival. 35 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 3: Why why did y'all change the name from Afro a Future. 36 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 4: I mean I think that obviously there was there was 37 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 4: a lot of there was a lot of issues that 38 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 4: we had. 39 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 3: They sued like they sue everybody, they just sue me. 40 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 4: But I mean, I mean, beyond that, it was just 41 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 4: an opportunity for us to like kind of grow beyond 42 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 4: where we were. 43 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: Uh. 44 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 4: This gives us an opportunity to let people know that 45 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 4: there's a lot happening on the continent and you should 46 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 4: be a part of that. Right as far as creativity, entertainment, 47 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 4: as far as business, you know, there's so much happening 48 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 4: on the continent that everyone should be a part of 49 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 4: and that a future kind of speaks to that journey. 50 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 2: Well, people don't come for the name, they come for 51 00:01:58,960 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: the event. 52 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 4: That's exactly and the experience that we've been creating. You know, 53 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 4: we've done that without any corporate partners. So that's just 54 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 4: like a team of people who was really invested in 55 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 4: seeing the entertainment business and continent grow. For us to 56 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 4: create opportunities for people on the ground, to change the 57 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 4: economy in our own country, but also just to kind 58 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 4: of showcase some of these talents. Right when we started 59 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 4: in twenty seventeen, they weren't playing any AfroB Beats music 60 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 4: on the radio. Ten years later, you can't go to 61 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 4: a party, you can't go to a spot in New 62 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 4: York without it. And you know, for us, one of 63 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 4: the best accomplishments is like a lot of people were 64 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 4: able to visit the continent because of our experience. They 65 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 4: started in Ghana, but they've grown since to South Africa, 66 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 4: to Nigeria, and Ghana was just that that entry away. 67 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 5: That's why Detroit for the first stop in the US. 68 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 3: Why not New York I. 69 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 4: Mean New York. I feel like I'm from New York. 70 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 4: Everyone that needs to know about what we're doing on 71 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 4: the continent is aware. This is like a cultural melting pot. 72 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 4: We have a restaurant here, people know what's going on 73 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 4: in the side of the city. But one of the 74 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 4: things that we've learned is that there's an opportunity to 75 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 4: Troit being one of the most creative places also one 76 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 4: of the blackest cities in America, and we could build 77 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 4: that bridge between Detroit and the continent, like there's no 78 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 4: saying where things can go. And that's the opportunity there. 79 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 4: And then also we have an amazing partner in Bedrock 80 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 4: that's that's promoting opportunities and business in the city. So 81 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 4: we're looking at it as an opportunity to kind of 82 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:21,639 Speaker 4: grow our audience and not just kind of speak to 83 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 4: the same people. 84 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 6: That's crazy to think that y'all don't have no sponsorships. 85 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 4: No, we have sponsorship. When you were there a few years, 86 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 4: we had some sponsorships. What we don't have is a 87 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,399 Speaker 4: corporate sponsors So we never had like a Live Nation 88 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 4: Year or any of those brands behind us. We literally 89 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 4: built this from the mud and as far as sponsorships, 90 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 4: we've had some of the first ever. So when when 91 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 4: Meta wanted to first come to the continent, they showed 92 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 4: up to our to our festival, we're able to work 93 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 4: with them. When you two wanted to announce shorts, we 94 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 4: were able to like build the playground in our field. 95 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 4: Audio Mac, we brought the CEO of Audio Mac to Ghana. 96 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 4: We ran this program called the Rising Star program and 97 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 4: now Audio MA because now the number one download the app 98 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 4: in West Africa, you know. So we were able to 99 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 4: be that conduit for a lot of brands that want 100 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 4: to come to the continent and then we've been doing 101 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 4: business like that since. 102 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 7: But those aren't considered corporate sponsors. 103 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 4: Even they are corporate sponsors, but they don't. You can't 104 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 4: build an event with corporate sponsors because you're probably not 105 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 4: going to get the money to after the event is over. 106 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 4: But like if you have like a festival partner, we're 107 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 4: still an independent festival in that we eat what we 108 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 4: kill basically. 109 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 2: But you started off with four thousand attendees. Did you 110 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 2: expect it to be this big as a concert series 111 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 2: or was it one of those things where it was 112 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 2: more like a smaller well. 113 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 4: I just wanted a place for us to connect. There 114 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 4: were so many people in the diasport that were doing 115 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 4: amazing things, whether it was in London or it was 116 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 4: in America, but we just could never connect. We just 117 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 4: came to Deddy December and we just partied and went away. 118 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 4: So with the festival, this is an opportunity to really 119 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 4: kind of showcase what the amazing people on the continent 120 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 4: are doing, but also like how we can help and 121 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 4: how we can add the sauce to it as well. 122 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 4: But I did think we were going to be big. 123 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,040 Speaker 4: I didn't think we were going to be big as fast. 124 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 4: So we started in twenty seventeen. The year one we 125 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 4: did four thousand people, Year two we did twelve thousand, 126 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 4: and then year three was a year of return. So 127 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 4: it kind of forced us to scale faster than we 128 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 4: were ready to. 129 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 6: And then I think the rise of afrobeats because the 130 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 6: year I was there, you had burn a Boy headline. 131 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: Yeah that was that was two years in the making. 132 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 4: Yeah, we've had almost we've had all of them perform 133 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 4: for ourself. We've had whiz Kid, We've had David Though, 134 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:29,919 Speaker 4: we've had a shot K, We've even had Rama for 135 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 4: like one of our side events that we did, uh 136 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 4: you know, we did a fashion out experience with ig 137 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 4: Instagram and we had Rema they're performing. So we've pretty 138 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:39,479 Speaker 4: much been the launching path for a lot of people. 139 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 4: Uncle Waffles probably one of the biggest DJs right now. 140 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 4: We were one of the first people to fly out 141 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 4: of the Southern Africa to Ghana. Put on the billboard 142 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 4: she performed at our show. We've done that for a 143 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 4: lot of artists, I mean a lot of that on 144 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 4: my piano artists through the pandemic we broke in Ghana. 145 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 5: Four thousand is still a lot for the first festival. So, yes, 146 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 5: that's amazing to go from four thousand and forty one 147 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 5: thousand is I mean four thousand year, four thousand and 148 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 5: forty one thousand is amazing, but for the first time, 149 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 5: four thousand is still a lot. 150 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. We actually shut it down, yeah the first year. Yeah, 151 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: we were afraid. 152 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 4: That it was like people were not going to be 153 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 4: able to have as much fun or we weren't going 154 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 4: to be able to control it. So we wanted to 155 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 4: be able to still make sure people had a good time, 156 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 4: so we actually shut it down when it got to 157 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 4: a certain limit. We wanted to make sure we had 158 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 4: that good premium experience. 159 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 5: Did you have any problems that? 160 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 4: No, No, that that first year was just it was 161 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 4: it was a learning experience. It was an accomplishment. I remember, like, 162 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 4: you know, being very happy that we was able to 163 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 4: kind of see our vision through. But we didn't really 164 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 4: have that many experience issues. 165 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:41,919 Speaker 2: That first year was as what's the hardest thing you 166 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 2: faced do any shows? Was it sponsorships? 167 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: Is it people? Is it? 168 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 4: I think there's a combination of all of that. Uh, 169 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 4: you know, our first time was just really just kind 170 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 4: of understanding the business. We had no idea how to 171 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 4: throw a festival. We know how to do parties, but 172 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 4: we didn't know how to do festivals. The second year 173 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 4: was just more of by scale, right, just under standing 174 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 4: like logistics and how to deal with people moving from 175 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 4: like what was polo field to a stadium. The third 176 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 4: year was just kind of scaling where our company wasn't 177 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 4: just ready to kind of get all of those people 178 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 4: coming in for the year return, but also Ghana's tourism 179 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 4: wasn't quite ready for the amount of people that came 180 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 4: into that year of return. So yeah, there's a combination 181 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 4: of money there's a combination of just kind of learning, 182 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 4: opportunity capacity building in the space. Equipment is one of 183 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 4: the things that we don't necessarily have much of the continent, 184 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 4: so the expense is high. And now we're dealing with 185 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 4: cost of talent, right, So like all of those things 186 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 4: are different at different points, there was different hard things. 187 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 6: I don't even like going outside, but I remember when 188 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 6: I first went to Ghana, everybody was like, yo, Ghana's 189 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 6: nightlife is incredible, and I remember thinking, Ghana's nightlife and 190 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 6: me and my wife and our team was outside every night. 191 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, very important. They do. Like people on the continent 192 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 4: know how to have a good time. And in December, 193 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 4: everybody's off, right, it's like a vacation for everybody. So 194 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 4: the reality is you can go out every night. 195 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 3: The restaurants clubs in Silver Fox. 196 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, you can have a vibe from morning to morning, 197 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 4: like you know what I mean, and people do it 198 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 4: and I love that for people. And depending on the 199 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 4: type of experience you want to have, you can have 200 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 4: that party track, you can have the tourist track, you 201 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 4: can have the restlue track. 202 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: It's really your choice. 203 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 6: Now we'll say the only thing I will say about 204 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 6: Ghana is the service Yeah, yeah, restaurants, you will wait 205 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 6: for a long time. 206 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 4: But that's an opportunity. I mean we see it as 207 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 4: an opportunity because you got to think about a capacity building, right. 208 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:34,439 Speaker 4: Ghana is very young to tourism, Whereas like a lot 209 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 4: of Caribbean countries have been getting tours for hundreds of years, 210 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 4: Ghana's only been free since nineteen fifty seven, so and 211 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 4: then the tourism sector really just started, I would say, 212 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 4: a boom after the year of return. So we're still 213 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 4: learning how to do that. So there's an opportunity. So 214 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 4: if people want to start a service based business, I 215 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 4: mean I'm inviting you to Donna to do that. 216 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 6: I I was saying to myself, I want to go 217 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 6: to Ghana outside of the simmer, which I'm going to do, 218 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 6: but absolutely because I wanted, like, how was it throughout 219 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 6: the rest of the year. 220 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 4: No, you can have What you see in December is 221 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 4: not foreign to people. People do this weekly in Ghana 222 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 4: if they want to, Like, you know what we see 223 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 4: in December. I know a lot of people is surprised 224 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 4: to them, but this is some people do this weekly 225 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 4: if they want to. But like, you can have a 226 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 4: great time in the you know during Easter, you can 227 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 4: have a great time in the summertime. It's just not 228 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 4: as packed with foreigners, right, but the experience is still 229 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 4: the same. You can still have fun at the restaurants, 230 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 4: the clubs are still packed. People are still having a 231 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 4: good time. And you know, we just had a change 232 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,079 Speaker 4: of government this year in Ghana as well, so that 233 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 4: you know, the economy is coming back to where it's 234 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 4: supposed to be and I think people are getting more 235 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 4: there's more consumer confidence. 236 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 2: Why people reach out to you because we had the 237 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 2: CEO and chairman of Richmond. Yeah, that was like, that 238 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 2: would be dope to do, like a Friday night Afro future. 239 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 6: You want to people off, I said, I don't understand 240 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 6: the conversation, but people are mad about the whole time Africans. 241 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 6: You know, it's the whole Africans versus Black American argument. 242 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 6: And you know, Black Americans have been complaining that African 243 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:08,439 Speaker 6: culture is different than Black culture and they feel like 244 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 6: Essence was trying to force it on people. 245 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I think at the core of it, 246 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 4: it's all about misunderstanding and we just really are not 247 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 4: speaking to each other. We're speaking past each other, and 248 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,599 Speaker 4: the reason why our festival exists is really to just 249 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 4: kind of domestify and really make you understand if the 250 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 4: African American and you've been to the continent, you know 251 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 4: that people love you, right because this is all they consume, 252 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 4: your content, the music, the art, everything. And then I'm 253 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 4: also a child that's like, was born here in America, 254 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 4: so part of my life is an African American lifestyle. 255 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 4: Went to high school here, I went to college here. 256 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 4: So I think really it's just kind of making sure 257 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 4: we understand and respect each other at its core. On 258 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 4: the continent, if you grow up there, all you see 259 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 4: is black people versus where you grew up here in America, 260 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 4: you go to college, you go to go to work, 261 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 4: there's these microaggressions and things that you don't that you 262 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,959 Speaker 4: have to face. It's a very different understanding for everyone, right. 263 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 4: So on you know, think about hierarchy of needs on 264 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 4: the continent, that the need is just we need. 265 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: We need to eat. 266 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 4: So it doesn't matter if I'm dealing with a little 267 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:09,319 Speaker 4: bit of racism because at the end of the day, 268 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 4: I got to eat, Whereas here I need to survive, 269 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 4: I need to live. So that racism, that that's oppressive, 270 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:19,679 Speaker 4: that that that that you know, that takes away from 271 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 4: my joy, you know what I mean? And I think 272 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 4: that just really respecting everyone's perspective on their need at 273 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 4: that point is really what I think needs to happen. 274 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 4: But I also think that we just need to learn 275 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 4: about each other a little bit more and we can 276 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 4: find those synergies. 277 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 5: Speaking of eating Joel Off rice or jambalaya, so we 278 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 5: so we. 279 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 4: Actually did that event. My boys and I did that 280 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:44,839 Speaker 4: event right. I don't think that they should be mad 281 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 4: at us. I think that's really just understanding why we 282 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 4: did it right. So Jumbalaya is a version of what 283 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 4: Joelf would be, or like a rendition of it. So 284 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 4: I don't know if anybody here has seen high in 285 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 4: a hog, but talking about food origins, really we were 286 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 4: just trying to connect people. Our goal is not to 287 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 4: make it a competition, and we didn't compete against the rice. 288 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:07,200 Speaker 4: It's really just kind of like, let you know, if 289 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 4: you're African, this is an opportunity for you to learn 290 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,200 Speaker 4: about jambalaya. If if you're an American, this is your 291 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 4: opportunity to taste some jew of rice and and that 292 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 4: was just a way of us trying to connect the 293 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 4: culture and connect people through basketball, sport that people love, 294 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 4: and then also through food and just kind of build 295 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 4: that connection. I think we could probably could have did 296 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 4: a better story telling opportunity of just kind of the 297 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 4: connectivity between Jumbalayan and jewel Off. And I think that's 298 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 4: great feedback. But I don't think of it as a 299 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 4: way for us to erase anybody's culture or like you know, 300 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,839 Speaker 4: africanize anybody's culture. Our goal is to be respectful. We 301 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 4: should be respectful, and I think that that's the that's 302 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 4: the goal that I'm learning. 303 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:45,079 Speaker 1: Absolutely. 304 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 3: If you show up, you hungry. I want both where 305 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 3: to come from? 306 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 6: I want to Yeah, my guy chef bj Benjamin Dennessee, 307 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 6: he was on High on the Hull and from Charleston, 308 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 6: South Carolina, exactly back Carolina where I'm from. 309 00:12:58,240 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 3: I'm not West Africa. 310 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 6: Like a lot of the things that we eat and 311 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 6: stuff are rooted in West African culture. 312 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's some of the things that we want to do. 313 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 4: We want to tell more stories about food and the 314 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 4: origins because if you look at a lot of food 315 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 4: that people are eating here in America, across the Caribbean 316 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 4: and across the continent. There's so many similarities, but there's 317 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:19,839 Speaker 4: barely any places that you can go and find if 318 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 4: you were born here in America. Like, for instance, we 319 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 4: know about I know about jay Z's history from getting 320 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 4: to the end, and like I follow all of his 321 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 4: albums and I know the next story is going to 322 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 4: come on the next one. We don't necessarily have that 323 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 4: about our afrobeats artists. I think there's an opportunity there 324 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 4: for us to tell those stories, and that happens for 325 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 4: all categories. The same thing in our same thing and fashion, 326 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 4: same thing in food. We need to tell those stories, 327 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:43,439 Speaker 4: and that's why our platform exists to be able to 328 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,840 Speaker 4: tell those stories and buy into that. Like we all 329 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 4: loved Black Panther when it came out, although it's not real. 330 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 4: We all love The Women King when it came out. 331 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,959 Speaker 4: But we need more shows, more movies like that, because 332 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 4: if somebody is sitting here in America and all they've 333 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 4: been taught is that Africa is full of poverty, and 334 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 4: as an African, I know a lot of young Africans 335 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 4: that didn't want to associate with that either, So it 336 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 4: kind of makes sense. But now if we can tell you. 337 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 4: With the Internet penetrating at forty and fifty percent in 338 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 4: Africa right now, Africans are able to tell you in 339 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 4: real life who they are and what they do and 340 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:16,720 Speaker 4: the type of lifestyles that they live and vice versa. 341 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 6: Man, I've made it my business to take my family 342 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 6: to somewhere on the continent at least once a year. 343 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. 344 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 6: So I've been to Johannesburg, I've been to Zanzibar and Tanzania. 345 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 6: I've been to Ghana. I'm going to Cape Town. Is 346 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 6: amazing when you see these places, you like wow. Yeah, 347 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 6: I say it all the time. They lied to us. 348 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 1: About the opportunity. 349 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, and just beyond that, like I was on Kamala's 350 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 4: the group that went to the continent when she went 351 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 4: to Africa, And for me, it's very important for everybody 352 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 4: to if the whole world is fighting for a piece 353 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 4: of Africa, why aren't you looking at that as an 354 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 4: opportunity for yourself? And our festival is a way to 355 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 4: introduce it, right, you know, something that you're familiar with, 356 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 4: come to the continent that experience the food, experience experience fashion, 357 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 4: experience the music in real time with the people on 358 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 4: the ground, smell and feel the place, and then you know, 359 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 4: use that as an opportunity the next time you come 360 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 4: to see how you can help, how you can work 361 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 4: with somebody to make something really dope happen. 362 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: That's our goal. 363 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 7: You said that tourism is new for you guys. So 364 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 7: when people experience all of that, what is the one 365 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 7: thing at the end of the day that you feel 366 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 7: like people still miss that? You're like, man I wish 367 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 7: y'all would have gotten this though. 368 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 4: I mean one of the things that I mentioned earlier 369 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 4: is that you know, we're a small business still. Although 370 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 4: we've gotten all of this pressing these bylines and a 371 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 4: lot of people from America have come to our festival 372 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 4: forty percent, there are still growing pains that we're going through. 373 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 4: To build infrastructure. We need to build infrastructure around touring. 374 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 4: We see most African arts they're not touring around the continent. 375 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,400 Speaker 4: The cost is too high. We need to build infrastructure 376 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 4: just around education. You know, you have return taught me 377 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 4: that We booked Ori Lennox and she came to Ghana 378 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,160 Speaker 4: and she was so happy about her experience, but she 379 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 4: received comments that didn't really make her happy. And that's 380 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 4: because there's so much learning that we have to do 381 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 4: and unlearning that we have to do as well. So 382 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 4: it's just kind of those kind of things that we 383 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 4: need to be better. We have to be better at service. 384 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 4: Like you mentioned, I think that all of those things 385 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 4: have changed. So if you've been the gun in twenty nineteen, 386 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 4: if you go today, those things have drastically improved, you 387 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 4: probably won't recognize it from the last time you went. 388 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 4: And those are the learnings that are happening on the continent, 389 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 4: and I think in the next couple of years you're 390 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 4: going to see a lot more happening. The continent is 391 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 4: just getting younger and people are getting wiser, and the 392 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 4: internet's penetrating at a very high clip. 393 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 6: You know, Bill Gates said that he wanted to give 394 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 6: ninety nine percent of his two hundred billion dollar fortune 395 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 6: and healthcare and education in Africa. Where would you tell 396 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 6: him specifically you need to put them in. 397 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 4: I mean, I would say, like, you know, healthcare is 398 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 4: a great opportunity. You know, research is one of the 399 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 4: major platforms that we did that we that we do 400 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 4: right here in America. I think there's an opportunity on 401 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 4: the continent for us to kind of invest in research. 402 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 4: I would say agriculture is a very big component. A 403 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 4: lot of people outside of South Africa are really importing 404 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,120 Speaker 4: their food, so it makes the cost of food higher. 405 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 4: If we can invest in that infrastructure of agriculture and ARGROATEEC, 406 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 4: I think there's an opportunity. Entertainment has been one consistent 407 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:15,800 Speaker 4: way that people are making money on the continent right now. 408 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 4: A lot of the skip makers, a lot of the artists, 409 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 4: a lot of the content creators. You know, we all 410 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 4: saw the rise of els in Majimbo. We all see 411 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,119 Speaker 4: the rise of Kabi Lame. I think there's an opportunity there. 412 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 4: You know, this year, for the past two years, our 413 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,679 Speaker 4: Business Culture Management Group has been running entertainment for the 414 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 4: Basketball Africa League and we do have time shows, We 415 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 4: do all of their influencer management and booking their DJs 416 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,439 Speaker 4: and things that nature. There's an opportunity for entertainment on 417 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 4: a grand scale. In twenty twenty eight, we hear F 418 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,360 Speaker 4: one is coming to the continent. Like there's so much 419 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 4: happening that I just think people need to tap in. So, 420 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 4: you know, I encourage people to get in groups. You know, 421 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 4: let's let's buy property let's build infrastructure, Let's start a 422 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 4: and farm less start or you know, uh, you know, 423 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 4: a manufacturing company. There's so many things you can do 424 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 4: on the content and to create jobs, but also to 425 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 4: to give back and to be self sustaining. 426 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:12,680 Speaker 6: I definitely invest in some property out did I want. 427 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 6: I want to invest in some more. I feel like 428 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 6: the Basketball African League is dropping the ball with the merchandise. 429 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 6: So I mean, I feel like you I would want 430 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 6: to wear a gone. 431 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 3: A jersey of African jersey. 432 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 4: They're getting there. I mean I would say that this 433 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 4: is a a growing league. There's just opportunity for them 434 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,160 Speaker 4: to to be able to do more. They've only been around. 435 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,159 Speaker 4: This is the fifth season that we just came out of, 436 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 4: so I think that they are going to do a 437 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 4: lot more. You're gonna see a lot more dope merch 438 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 4: you know, dope games. If you come to the games 439 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,119 Speaker 4: like you know, it's a it's you won't miss anything 440 00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 4: from the NBA because we have all of the entertainment 441 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 4: pieces in that experience. So the continent is growing and 442 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 4: people can be a part of this growth. So think 443 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,479 Speaker 4: about you know, if you had an opportunity to be 444 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,360 Speaker 4: a part of the Harlem Renaissance, like, like what would 445 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 4: that mean for you today? And that renaissance is happening 446 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 4: right now on the continent. You know, our art is 447 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 4: selling at a higher clip. The artists are selling out stadiums, 448 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 4: you know the fashion. You know, everyone on the met 449 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 4: gala was in African for the most part, positive Blatcheaing 450 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 4: and all of these people. I think it's time for 451 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 4: for more black people to get involved and be a 452 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 4: part of this growth. 453 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 7: How do you think what Donald Trump is doing with 454 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 7: like the visas, like how that will affect tourism and 455 00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 7: people just being able to come in and out and yeah, 456 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:28,479 Speaker 7: you for what you do with your festival. 457 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean we don't. We tend not to do 458 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 4: well when he's in office. But I would say that, 459 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 4: you know, one of the things that I would say 460 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,879 Speaker 4: is that he's been helpful in people just kind of 461 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 4: discovering themselves and who they are and what they can do. 462 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 4: And I would say for the continent, I do see 463 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,679 Speaker 4: that as a value for that pride to be reinstilled 464 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 4: in it. You see governments speaking back, you see people 465 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 4: pushing back and really wanting to build their own and 466 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 4: I just love I don't love the divisiveness that comes 467 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 4: with it, but I do love the opportunity that people 468 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 4: are seeing and just kind of looking into themselves in 469 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 4: the opportunity there. It is definitely affecting us as far 470 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 4: as tourism. People are not able to fly as easily, 471 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 4: and people are afraid and things that nature. But you know, 472 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 4: the goal is for us to continue to send those 473 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 4: positive messages that continue to build our community, and the 474 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 4: hope is that people find that comfort within the community 475 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 4: that we're building. 476 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 7: That's why what happened with Aria Lennox was so sad 477 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 7: because I felt like it was like a moment of 478 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 7: self discovery for her and people thought she was like 479 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 7: I don't know if they thought she was trolling or what, 480 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 7: but it was like they they bashed like they bashed 481 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:34,879 Speaker 7: her for feeling like I belong. 482 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, but that's you know, that's Internet, right, people were say, 483 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 4: that's Internet culture. I don't necessarily know that that's the 484 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,640 Speaker 4: experience of everyone that was in there in real time felt, 485 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 4: but I do see that there's an opportunity for us 486 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 4: to do a lot of learning and unlearning. And what 487 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 4: I mean by what I met by saying that everyone 488 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,359 Speaker 4: on the continent that grows up seeing all black people. 489 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 4: They don't see themselves as an other. Whereas here we 490 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 4: you know, I grew up here, I went to school here, 491 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 4: I worked here. I can understand and what you mean 492 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 4: when you feel like another right. And so to somebody 493 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 4: who is like starving or they're getting maybe less than 494 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 4: one thousand dollars a month for their salary for them 495 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,160 Speaker 4: to take care of their families, they see you as 496 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 4: a wealthy person. They don't see that you have a 497 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 4: lot of troubles. And that's still a level of ignorance 498 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 4: that we need to overcome. Right, So that's all about learning, 499 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 4: all about having empathy, all about just really just kind 500 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:28,680 Speaker 4: of un learning a lot of things that have been 501 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 4: taught to us that keeps us divided. 502 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 6: If you black, and you've been to any place in 503 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,960 Speaker 6: Africa for the most part, especially Ghana, you know exactly 504 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 6: what our linux man Like My daughters were probably three 505 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 6: and five, they were young. 506 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 3: Seven and five. We went seven and four. Something like 507 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 3: that they noticed. 508 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 6: Was like where a white people are literally like they 509 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 6: was like, damn it, there's so many black like they 510 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,399 Speaker 6: It's on the billboard, it's on the TV. 511 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,600 Speaker 4: See everywhere you see. Yeah, And I think that's the 512 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 4: beauty for me. For the first four years, I didn't 513 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 4: really get a chance to see the festival. So the 514 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 4: only way I could live it is through how people 515 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,120 Speaker 4: told me it made them feel, and how I saw 516 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 4: their life had changed when they came back to the US. 517 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 4: So it was beautiful to see people who had no 518 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 4: ties to the continent, had no family there, come back 519 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 4: and feel home, feel welcomed, feel comfortable. I saw people 520 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 4: walk in the street, I see people in restaurants just 521 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 4: literally having a home, good time, safe and sound, and 522 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 4: wanted to go back. You know, we started with four thousand, 523 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 4: but like we've had that, people have always come back 524 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,080 Speaker 4: with two or three more people. So that's how we 525 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 4: were able to grow from four thousand to forty one thousand. 526 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: Over those years. 527 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 3: I think what y'all doing is amazing. 528 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,880 Speaker 4: When the show in Detroit, Detroit is August sixteenth and seventeenth, 529 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 4: we have a lot of cool things planned in Detroit, 530 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 4: a little bit yeah, yeah, yeah, we gotta have we 531 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 4: gotta have all yeah. We gotta have a little bit 532 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 4: of culture all over there. Right, So there's a little 533 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,320 Speaker 4: hip hop, there's a little dance music, there's little on 534 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 4: my piano, and then afrobeats. Our goal is to really 535 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 4: introduce afrobeats to people who have not really had an 536 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 4: immersive experience, and also just to kind of give people 537 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 4: some things that they're familiar with. But for us, our 538 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,879 Speaker 4: approach is really community. So we're partnering with groups like 539 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 4: Black Tech Saturdays, we're Venture three and three. We're doing 540 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 4: a pitch competition to give back to the community. We're 541 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:23,879 Speaker 4: talking to some of the business leaders you know, and 542 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 4: and bringing them into our community. We're running like a 543 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,120 Speaker 4: bar business crawl just to kind of make sure when 544 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 4: people come to Detroit they know what businesses to support 545 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 4: and how to support them. So we're doing a lot 546 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 4: of things that we partner with Pencil Lewis College. One 547 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,679 Speaker 4: of the ones I'm very excited about. Pencey Lewis College 548 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:43,400 Speaker 4: is a historical Black college in Detroit that is focused 549 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,400 Speaker 4: on design. So they do design and footwear and apparel 550 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 4: and also furniture, and we collabor with them to design 551 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:53,920 Speaker 4: merch for the festival and giving students an opportunity to 552 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 4: make some money. 553 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: So really excited about that. That's Dope. 554 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 4: Merchants on the Jersey you got, I got David a 555 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 4: shot k headliner we have. Yeah, we got Miller, Little Miller, 556 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 4: Miller from Brazil. So there's a little bit of you know, 557 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 4: there's a little bit of you know, vibes for everyone. 558 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 3: You designed theeds for the Bronx. 559 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 4: Yes, yeah, So the Bronx we called the Bronx Little Cross. 560 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, we have. 561 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 4: We called a Bronx Little our craw And you know, 562 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 4: you can see a large Guanian population in the Bronx. 563 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 1: My family is from there. 564 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 4: We own a restaurant there called a Craws Restaurant, been 565 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,879 Speaker 4: there for thirty eight years. And you know, the shoe 566 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 4: is really just kind of an ode to that culture. 567 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 4: Talking about the color patterns that you know, the embroidery. 568 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,879 Speaker 4: We wanted to have something where you can dress up 569 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 4: and dress down at the same time. There's some of 570 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 4: dincer symbols on there that just kind of speaks to community. 571 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 4: And you know, one of the things that we like 572 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 4: to say about the shoes just kind of we're separated 573 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 4: about thousands of miles, united about culture. And although you 574 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 4: know there's all this divisiveness, we know that when you 575 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,880 Speaker 4: see somebody doing something, you know that's culture. You can 576 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 4: give it the head now and pretty much that's what 577 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 4: we're trying to do with. 578 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: Regularly. 579 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:27,400 Speaker 3: No, okay, that's why I asked questions. Absolutely, because. 580 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,680 Speaker 4: Yes, please go to Detroit that afrofuture dot com. You 581 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 4: will find all the information you need. We got hotels 582 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 4: up there, We got a discount with Delta up there 583 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 4: for you, and you know, we got the hotels. People 584 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,159 Speaker 4: can come out and have a great time and definitely, uh, 585 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 4: look look to your flights for Gana in December. We're 586 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 4: going to have a very dirty one. So is Detroit 587 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,360 Speaker 4: gonna be the city whole city every year right now? Yes, 588 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 4: yes we are. We're doing Detroit. We have a great 589 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 4: partnership there. We love the community there. They're very you know, 590 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,919 Speaker 4: their creativity and they're welcoming attitude reminds me of what 591 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 4: what we were building when we started and guarding us 592 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 4: and we're very excited about that. But we do have 593 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 4: smaller other activations around the U S that that we're. 594 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: Looking to bring. 595 00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 4: I want to South Carolina, Yeah, invite us, would definitely 596 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,439 Speaker 4: love to do it then out there. Love to do 597 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,879 Speaker 4: some experiences out there. We're working with arts artists, people 598 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:20,400 Speaker 4: who you know painters. We're working with fashion designers. Got 599 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,880 Speaker 4: some cool one. This is a young designer called Bing. 600 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 4: We just brought them the synagogue. So we want to 601 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 4: we want to continue to you know, celebrate, you know, 602 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 4: the culture and bring people together. 603 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:30,400 Speaker 1: That's all. 604 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:35,399 Speaker 6: My ancestry is Senegalgue, Sierra Leone, that whole Mali region. 605 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's a beautiful senagogue is very beautiful. Like the 606 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,679 Speaker 4: beach is the beach town. I encourage everyone to just visit, like, 607 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,119 Speaker 4: just go and experience it and I'm sure that you 608 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 4: will love it and you see the vibe that we're 609 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 4: talking about. 610 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:47,639 Speaker 1: Right well, there you have it. 611 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 2: The founding CEO of Afro Future Abdullah. 612 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,679 Speaker 3: It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning, wake that answer up 613 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 3: in the morning. 614 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: The Breakfast Club