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Harare - An advertising campaign of billboards made of worthless
Zimbabwean banknotes has won an international advertising award,
reports in the country said Wednesday.
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.
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) per cent last year.
Knocking 25 zeroes off the currency in 18 months failed to stem
the slide. The highest-denomination banknote issued in February of
100 trillion Zimbabwe dollars 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 US 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.
- Sapa