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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Farai Mutsaka

In Zimbabwe, cash bouquets and scrap metal gifts rival flowers as coveted Valentine's tokens of love

Zimbabwe Valentine's Day Inventive Gifts - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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’t 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’s most coveted tokens of appreciation in the southern African country.

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