An Afropolitan’s Viewpoint on Advertising

In this episode, Mathe Okaba walks us through her illustrious career, starting from her earlydays at Herdbuoys McCann Erickson; the first black-owned Advertising Agency in South Africa, to her stint in the US and her current role as CEO of the ACA, South Africa’s Association for Communication and Advertising. The nuanced conversation between Mathe and Tosin provides a historical window into the complex experience of a Black South African within the advertising industry going back a couple of decades, contrasting that with the status quo and looking ahead towards the future. The discussion also explores the meaning of the term ‘Afropolitan’ and how we can begin to foster synergies across different regions, ensuring that agencies strive for proper representation and local resonance.