The Zimbabwean, a bi-weekly newspaper published in London, but sold in Zimbabwe, pasted together hundreds of banknotes with denominations of up to trillions of the now defunct Zimbabwe dollar to make up the billboards, the newspaper said.
Over the bills were pasted messages that said, “Thanks to (President Robert) Mugabe this money is wallpaper”, “It’s cheaper to print on this money than on paper” and “Fight the regime that has crippled a country”.
The ad campaign, designed by South African agency TWBA/Hunt/Lascaris/Johannesburg and appearing in the city of Johannesburg, was the winner in the category for outdoor advertising in the Cannes Lions advertising festival this week in the French resort town this week.
The agency said the Zimbabwean currency was “an eloquent symbol” of the spectacular collapse of the country’s economy.
Using banknotes as business cards
The wanton printing of money by President Robert Mugabe’s central banker Gideon Gono was blamed as the main cause of Zimbabwe’s record inflation, which was estimated to have reached 5 septillion (21 zeroes) percent last year.
Knocking 25 zeroes off the currency in 18 months failed to stem the slide. The highest-denomination banknote issued in February of Zim$100 trillion was just enough for a few loaves of bread.
Shoppers had to carry bags full of cash for groceries and signs in public toilets at the border control post with neighbouring South Africa instructed users not to flush Zimbabwe dollars down the toilet.
Last year a businessman was arrested and fined for using banknotes as business cards with his name and telephone numbers printed on them.
The corner on hyperinflation was turned after Mugabe and pro-democracy leader Morgan Tsvangirai formed a coalition government in February. The new government introduced the dollar and the South African rand as legal tender and withdrew the Zimbabwe dollar from circulation for at least a year.
The Zimbabwean, which backs Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, is the country’s most popular newspaper.
Last year a delivery truck carrying a load of the newspapers was hijacked and burnt out by suspected agents of Mugabe’s government.
Post published in: News