The inauguration of the Black Agencies Network Association (Bana) at a glittering ceremony in Sandton recently took me down memory lane during the birth of the Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) on the top floor of the public broadcaster in Auckland Park in 1997, and its subsequent demise at the hands of some colleagues in the media.

Observing the enthusiasm that accompanied the launch of Bana, the 100% black-owned advertising network eyeing the R50bn in what it described as a largely untransformed advertising industry mainly dominated by multinational agencies, is a welcome relief for those denied a piece of the cake but have to scramble for crumbs...