Activists, influencers, executives, artists, and business leaders came together for the third annual AFRICON conference in Los Angeles, California from May 25 – May 28.

Presented by Amplify Africa, the multi-day event aimed to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of Africa Day, which began with the founding of the African Union on May 25, 1963. The international celebration commemorates the start of African independence from European colonization and honors the continent’s rich history, diverse cultures and transformative progress.

The annual festivities aim to bridge the gap between leaders across the African Diaspora in fields including business, entertainment, culture, education, and more. REVOLT was present during the Afro Ball to speak to attendees about the event and their hopes for the future of the continent.

Featured honorees of the night included Arinze Emeagwali, Humble Lukanga, Nomzamo Mbatha, Olamide Olowe, Osita ‘Duke’ Ugeh, Tolulope Erogbogbo, Walla Elsheikh, Vic Mensa, Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal from REVOLT’s “Assets Over Liabilities” podcast.

The two show hosts expressed their interest in the event. “AFRICON itself is a celebration of African culture, but almost a bridge from that to American culture,” Millings said. “It reminds me of unity. Any time we can be honored by people from our heritage, it’s a tremendous honor.”

“It’s definitely something that’s exciting,” added Bilal. “I think there’s a new era in Africa, and it’s a new inspiration that the continent is giving the world through music, tech, and more. To be able to celebrate and build a bridge with the continent is something we are excited to do.”

Wealth manager and honoree Lukanga expressed his gratitude for the affair recognizing his contributions. “I’m born and raised on the continent,” he said. “I’m a little kid from a village in Uganda, East Africa. To be honored is unbelievable. The most amazing part of this is being able to honor my father’s legacy.”

Mensa was another honoree of the night. When asked about the future of the African Diaspora, he said that he thinks it’s going to be pivotal. “I think that the spark has been ignited and the attention and intentions of the Diaspora returning to Africa are different now,” he commented. “There will be a lot more examples of collaboration from Black people globally. Things like this event will multiply. To be unapologetically Black. To be radically proud of yourself. That’s an act of defiance.”

Aptly donned “The Billionaire Chef,” Nigerian Chef Erogbogbo spoke about his hopes for the future too. “The wealth of the culture, the pride that we all have as Africans, seeing the rise — I’m so overwhelmed with joy right now at how well the music is taking off, how well the acting industry is taking off, even in the arts. African art is beautiful right now.”

Grammy-nominated recording artist Jidenna hopes that “within the next 10 years, there will be a standard Black holiday in December or January for people to go back to Africa.” He also expressed his hope that “there will be more Black people living in Africa from the Caribbean and America.”

AFRICON was co-founded by Nigerian entertainment lawyers Damilare Kujembola and Timi Adeyeba. This year, the four-day festival commenced with a conference and Africa Day VIP reception capped with an Amapiano night and Caribbean night. The next day had another conference and the Afro Ball topped with sounds by Afrofuture and PVO Global. The festival closed out with a community brunch, the Chop Life day party, a wellness and yoga experience, and a Afrolituation party.

For more information on AFRICON, go here.