An initiative to promote young black=20 talent, spearheaded by advertising=20 stakeholders, could change the future of=20 the industry, writes Hazel Friedman
When Relopile Magagula matriculated two=20 years ago, her ambitions extended no=20 further than a secretarial position in one=20 of those starchy corporate environments.=20 But when she walks into work next week, it=20 won’t be through a sterile corridor of an=20 anonymous office block, but rather slap- bang into the heart of the most creative=20 agency in the advertising industry.=20 Magagula is one of the fortunate few=20 selected for a pilot training programme=20 designed to change the face of an industry=20 that with some exceptions remains whiter=20 than white. Called Amakhethwa (the chosen=20 ones) this initiative was launched in 1995.=20 It was devised by the Black Creative=20 Collective (BCC) and Creative Directors=20 Forum (CDF) to encourage kids from=20 historically disadvantaged areas to cross=20 the advertising threshold and pioneer a=20 culture of young, black advertising talent=20 .=20
An advertisement was placed in three=20 newspapers, inviting candidates to complete=20 an advertising copy test. The best=20 candidates would receive a 12- month=20 contract at South Africa’s foremost=20 advertising agencies – among them the=20 Jupiter Drawing Room and Hunt Lascaris.=20 Over 500 candidates responded to the=20 advertisement and 150 wannabe ad-cats=20 completed the copy test which included=20 questions like: “You are from the wrong=20 part of town. She is beautiful,=20 sophisticated and from a rich family. Chat=20 her up in less than 150 words. (If you are=20 female this will involve some exciting role=20 switching).”
And from the hundreds of hopefuls, 11=20 candidates were selected and each paired=20 off with an agency. “We were looking for=20 candidates with street wisdom, imagination=20 and spunk,” said The Agency’s Graeme=20 Butchart, “we intend doing our very best to=20 ensure that the `chosen ones’ are=20 successfully integrated into a very=20 demanding industry.”
In addition to providing training workshops=20 during the year the Creative Directors=20 Forum will contribute half the candidates’=20 salary for the first six months of their=20 contracts.=20
For 21-year-old Relopile Magagula, who was=20 paired off with Hunt Lascaris – the agency=20 which holds the undisputed creative crown=20 in the advertising kingdom – Amakhethwa=20 represents more than an opportunity to get=20 those creative juices flowing. The Sowetan=20 is the only female card in the all-male=20 pack. Suddenly opportunities are opening up=20 that once seemed to be only within the=20 realm of wishful thinking.