HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) 鈥� Liquidity as affection and trash as a symbol of enduring love. From bouquets fashioned from dollar bills to heart-shaped gifts forged from recycled scrap metal, romance in Zimbabwe is taking strikingly inventive forms, reflecting life in an economy where cash reigns supreme and sustainability gains new social value.
You can鈥檛 buy love, the saying goes. But from florists in traditional markets to social media sellers angling for attention on TikTok, dollar bills rolled and pinned together to resemble a floral bouquet are increasingly rivaling fresh flowers as Valentine Day鈥檚 most coveted tokens of appreciation in .
鈥淧lease God, make my lover see this,鈥� commented one TikTok user under a video advertising glittering cash-and-flower arrangements. 鈥淢ay this bouquet locate me in Jesus name, amen,鈥� wrote another.
Cash as courtship
At a decades-old flower market in the capital, Harare, Tongai Mufandaedza, a florist, patiently assembled one such 鈥渕oney bouquet.鈥� Using adhesive and bamboo sticks, he folded crisp $50 notes into decorative cone shapes, weaving them with stems of white roses.
As Valentine鈥檚 Day approaches, he expects business to surge.
鈥淭he market has improved because of the money bouquets,鈥� said Mufandaedza, who has worked at the country鈥檚 biggest flower market for three decades.
鈥淥n Valentine鈥檚 Day, we are going to have more, more, more customers, because this is something which is trending. Everyone wants to impress,鈥� he said, then patched the arrangement in bright red wrapping and ribbons.
Among those browsing the market was Kimberleigh Kawadza. Her preference was clear.
鈥淭he person who came up with the trend, I just need to give them a hands up. They did a good job,鈥� said the 23-year-old. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way of appreciating my partner, it鈥檚 a 100 for me, it鈥檚 a 100.鈥�
Practical romance
While Generation Z is driving the craze, Mufandaedza said demand is spreading across generations. Some parents, he added, are even buying money bouquets for their daughters 鈥渟o that they don鈥檛 fall into peer pressure and get tempted to go for sugar daddies who can lure them with such gifts.鈥�
Prices vary widely. Smaller bouquets may contain as little as $10, while larger arrangements can run into the thousands. In some cases, they are even cheaper than traditional floral gifts.
A bouquet of dollar notes with a value of $10 costs $25, while a bouquet of 10 good-grade red roses costs between $35 and $40, he said. Many ask 鈥渨here is the money?鈥� if Mufandaedza delivers a bouquet of flowers without a cash design, he said.
Unlike traditional floral gifts, the appeal of money bouquets is as practical as it is romantic for , where liquidity often carries more immediate value than luxury.
鈥淧eople still love flowers, but when they see the notes on top, the love feels hotter and the gesture even more meaningful. Survival matters more in these difficult times and money plays a bigger role,鈥� he said.
The U.S. dollar has dominated transactions since hyperinflation forced authorities to abandon the local currency in 2009. Although Zimbabwe has since , the dollar remains legal and dominant.
With crisp notes scarce, , sometimes jokingly referred to as 鈥渨ar veterans,鈥� are hardly suitable for decorative bouquets, spawning spin-off businesses of enterprising traders who supply clean replacement notes at a commission.
Zimbabwe isn鈥檛 alone in flirting with the fusion of cash and courtship. Money bouquets have also surged in popularity elsewhere in Africa, including Kenya, one of the world鈥檚 largest flower exporters.
Before Valentine鈥檚 Day, Kenya鈥檚 central bank warned of stiff penalties of up to seven years in prison for folding, stapling or gluing banknotes into bouquets, arguing that damaged currency disrupts cash-handling systems and violates laws against defacing money. The directive sparked lively debate online, with critics accusing regulators of overreach.
Love from scrap
Back in Zimbabwe, no such restrictions exist. But for some, love is finding expression not just through cash, but through trash recycled into keepsakes.
At an upscale shopping center in Harare, aluminium heart-shaped key rings, necklaces, platters and wine holders crafted from reclaimed scrap were lined up next to chocolates and gift boxes in Simpli Simbi, a decor and gift shop. 鈥淪imbi鈥� means metal in the local Shona language.
鈥淲e are taking something that was unloved before, polishing it up and making it beautiful again towards a gift to someone that they can treasure forever,鈥� said Stephanie Charlton, founder of the shop.
Charlton said that her customer base, once dominated by tourists and diaspora Zimbabweans, is increasingly local because of rising environmental awareness.
In an industrial area nearby, her foundry was stacked with discarded car radiators, rims and , before being melted in an open furnace and transformed into handmade gifts.
鈥淲omen love chocolates and flowers, but they are here today, gone tomorrow,鈥� said Charlton, a former horticulture exporter who now employs 20 people.
鈥淭his is something that we have collected that would be filling up a landfill. But we have made it into something beautiful that you can give to (your valentine), show them that you treasure them. There is a meaning behind it, there is a story to be told with each piece.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Evelyne Musambi contributed to this report from Nairobi, Kenya.
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