THE FACES ON WORLD BANKNOTES

Emblazoned with mottos, emblems, and historical imagery, money is one of the most tangible symbols of a nation’s identity. As that identity evolves, so too does the design of the country’s coins and banknotes—and the process can be fraught.

That has been the case in the United States with a plan to make abolitionist Harriet Tubman the face of the $20 bill, replacing former U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Although the U.S. Treasury had hoped to issue the design in time for the women’s suffrage centennial in 2020, the plan languished under President Donald Trump, who had criticized it as political correctness. Now, however, the Biden administration has announced it will move forward with the redesign.

But how do countries determine whose portraits to feature on their currency, and what does it tell us about their pasts? Here’s a look at banknotes from around the world and the stories behind their creation—from the delicate negotiations to create a Bosnian currency in the wake of civil war, to the nations that have used their currency as a way to move on from colonialism and reckon with racist pasts.

Left: Many countries use their banknotes as a way to honor their earliest leaders. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam led the movement to end British colonial rule in Mauritius. In 1968, he became the country’s first prime minister and now appears on its 2000-rupee note.

Right: Celebrated as the father of the nation, Michael Somare was a politician who led the push for Papua New Guinea’s 1975 independence from Australia. Somare, who now appears on the 50-kina note, was the country’s first and longest-serving prime minister.

To read the complete article, see:
What can the faces on its currency tell us about a country? (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/what-can-faces-on-currency-tell-us-about-country)

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