Making history… For all the wrong reasons!

Sinqobile Tessa
STAR BILLING: Old Zim currency

Leeds City Museum (United Kingdom) will this month host an exhibition on the evolution of money and Zimbabwe will feature.

While other countries, like the UK, Sweden, Austria and the USA will have their currencies of yesteryear displayed primarily to showcase their progression, ours will be for all the wrong reasons.

Zimbabwe’s 100 trillion Dollar bill, the highest note of our times, will be featured and will no doubt be an attraction.

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The bill was issued in 2008 at the height of hyperinflation which was also a record breaker.

That year, the country’s inflation was said to be around 80 sextillion percent – that’s 36 zeros!

Back then, prices of goods and services changed literally every second. God knows how most people pulled through.

By the way, that’s the year I decided enough was enough. My salary at the time was not even enough to buy food that would last me and three siblings a week.

I was working for Zimpapers at the time and I did not even formally resign.

All I did was clear my desk, surrender the keys of the company car I was using and found my way to Gaborone two days later.

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So when we speak of economic refugees, I know what I am talking about. Anyway that is a story for another day.

Back to the tale of these monies that will be on display in Leeds, which my sexy sub editor reliably informs me is also home to one of the best football teams in England!

As already indicated, ours will be there for being the highest denomination in the world while for others it’s for somewhat different reasons.

The Austrian money that will be on display is the 1920s currency, which was printed on a colourful piece of wood. Just imagine, instead of having notes in your pocket as cash, it would instead be pieces of wood.

But I guess that’s better than carrying truck loads of money that can only buy a loaf of bread as was the case back then when they went up to printing 100 trillion dollars.

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I suppose the one thing the Aussie Dollar from 100 years ago and the Zim trillions have in common is that they were both good fire starters!

I surely will never forget those times when we all became millionaires. Hopefully history will never repeat itself.

In other news, voter registration is in full swing in preparation for next’s year general elections.

There is still debate in our home if it’s really worth registering and casting our vote seeing as elections seem to be in vain in our country.

Personally though, I will register and vote. Maybe, just maybe my vote will make that difference – after all, as Australia and Zim’s financial history shows, stranger things have happened!

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