Throwing money at a problem isn’t usually the best solution. But that’s exactly what the owners of Zimbabwe’s national newspaper, The Zimbabwean, did to focus the world’s attention on the difficulties currently faced by its countries people.
Under the dictatorship of Mugabe, Zimbabwe has sunk into such a state of hyperinflation that its currency is now practically worthless. The Zimbabwean itself has become an unaffordable commodity for most in the country as a 55% luxury tax was placed on it – The owners are currently in exile after printing a story about Mugabe’s election rigging.
Rather than describe the difficulties faced by its paper and the country’s inhabitants, The Zimbabwean decided to go with something more tangible. A team of volunteers from around the world, led by London based editor Wilf Mbanga, founder and first chief executive of Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, produced print advertisements using the devalued currency as paper.
Billboards and wall murals ran with the slogan ‘Thanks To Mugabe This Money Is Wallpaper’, printed on Zimbabwean Trillion dollar notes. The campaign message was also printed onto individual currency used as flyers and sent to media personalities to raise awareness.
The Trillion Dollar Campaign won the Cannes Grand Prix for Outdoor. More importantly, though, it has highlighted the plight of the people of Zimbabwe – a story with a tendency to flit in and out of the public eye - in a visually striking and immediately comprehensible way.
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