MALAWIAN TRADITION: THROW MONEY AND STEP ON IT

Malawi is spending several million US dollars every year to replace torn and dirty bank notes as people throw money as sign of good luck. Malawi's central bank has now rolled out a campaign to stop this wear and tear.

It's part of Malawian tradition to throw bills around at weddings, bridal showers and other social events as a sign of wealth and good luck.

The money that's been thrown on the floor is then trampled on - often, it's too dirty or torn to be used again.

The bank notes need to eventually be replaced by Malawi's Reserve Bank. And it's not coming cheap, according to bank governor Dalitso Kabambe.

However, people on the streets blame the bank for putting out notes that are not as durable as those issued in other countries.

Others like Lilongwe resident Ntchindi Meki say it won't be easy to stop Malawi's tradition of celebrating by throwing money in the air. He added it was a good idea though that the bank sets out to inform people about the negative effects - destroying the bank notes.

Central Bank Governor Kabambe says they will start a campaign to educate people to take better care of Malawian bank notes. He also said he was going to start prosecuting culprits from 2018.

To read the complete article, see:
Malawi urges people to stop damaging bank notes (http://www.dw.com/en/malawi-urges-people-to-stop-damaging-bank-notes/a-41774968)

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