BY FARAI MUTSAKA
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — The introduction of the world’s newest currency in April inspired a reggae artist to record a song praising the ZiG, or Zimbabwe Gold.
The catchy tune, titled “Zig Mari,” received generous play on state television and radio. The musician, Ras Caleb, received a car and $2,000 — ironically paid in greenbacks, not the new ZiGs — from a businessman with close ties to Zimbabwe’s ruling party and President Emmerson Mnangagwa; he said he wanted to reward an act he considered “patriotic.”
Although money typically doesn’t require publicity, Zimbabwe’s sixth national currency in 15 years needs all the help it can get.
Desperate to halt a money crisis underlining the country’s economic troubles, the government launched the gold-backed ZiG, the latest attempt to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, which had been battered by depreciation and often outright rejection by people unwilling to put their faith
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