In socialist Yugoslavia, there was only one circulating banknote featuring the image of Josip Broz Tito. That was the 5,000 dinar banknote from 1985. However, it is little known to the general public that another country also issued a banknote featuring Tito's image, and that was even several years before Yugoslavia itself. We discuss that in this article.
Money in society has its monetary and propaganda role. First and foremost, money serves as a medium of payment and as a measure of the value of goods and services. However, in addition to this, it also has a political-propaganda role through which the issuer sends a message of a specific content to the public.
Usually, money issuers are central banks backed by the state, so the banknotes feature those motifs and contents that the state wants its citizens to see. When people are put on money, as a rule, these are rulers of that country; significant figures from history; politicians and statesmen; scientists; writers; artists, and the like.
SFR Yugoslavia, 5000 dinars 05.01.1985. Image: Coins, Banknotes & Militaria Store [www.cbm-store.com].
Only in late 1985 did socialist Yugoslavia decide to put the image of Josip Broz Tito on its currency, specifically on the 5,000 dinar banknote. At that time, this banknote was the most valuable banknote in circulation. The obverse of the banknote featured the image of an elderly Josip Broz Tito, while the reverse featured a view of Jajce. These motifs were intended to be a sort of call for the unity of a country that was already bursting at the seams.
What is unusual is that Yugoslavia was not the first country to put Josip Broz Tito on its banknotes, but rather another country did so – the Republic of Guinea.
This African country introduced a new currency in 1971 and named it syli. The word „syli“ in the language of the Malinke people means „elephant“. One Guinean syli was divided into 100 cowries. cowrie is otherwise a term for specific shells that were used as primitive money in the past.
On its largest 500 syli banknote from the year 1980, the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea featured none other than the image of Josip Broz Tito, Marshal and President for Life of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
This banknote was issued into circulation on April 16, 1981, and was withdrawn during 1985 when the Guinean franc was reintroduced. It is not known where these banknotes were printed, nor who the author of the artistic design is. The dimensions of the banknotes are 172 x 94 mm, the prevailing color is brown, and their security features include special paper and a watermark.
Republic of Guinea, 500 Sylis 1980, obverse of the banknote. Image: Coins, Banknotes & Militaria Store [www.cbm-store.com].
On the front of the banknote, in the left part, is the image of Josip Broz Tito in a suit with his gaze directed slightly to the right. To the right of Tito's image is the large denomination name in French: PET STOTINA SYLIJA and the date: 01.03.1960.
Beneath that are the signatures of the Minister of Finance, Ismael Toure, and the Governor of the Central Bank, Lamine Conde.
The serial number of the banknote consists of two letters and six digits. It is printed in black and appears in two places on the obverse of the banknote.
All elements appearing on the obverse of the banknote are placed within a brown decorative frame. In the upper part of this frame is the name of the issuing institution in French: CENTRAL BANK OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA. In the lower part of the frame, on the left and right, are the denomination markings of 500, and in the central part is the year: 1980. Above this year is also the warning for counterfeiters.
Republic of Guinea, 500 sylis 1980, reverse of the banknote. Image: Coins, Banknotes & Militaria Store [www.cbm-store.com].
On the reverse side of the banknote, in its central part, is an image of the People's Palace in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea. This depiction of the building is also placed within a brown decorative frame. In the lower part of the frame is the denomination name in French: FIVE HUNDRED SYLIS. In the upper left and lower right corners of the frame are the denomination markings 500.
This banknote itself is not particularly special in the numismatic world, but it is very historically interesting because it features the former president of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito. The question naturally arises – why?
When banknotes of a country feature people, in most cases they are figures who are significant to that country and have a direct connection to it. It is very unusual for them to feature the leader of another country. It is even more unusual for an African country, which only freed itself from colonial rule in 1958, to place a European—specifically a white man—on its banknote just 23 years later.
However, if we look at other banknotes from that series, then the whole story about Tito on the money of this African country makes sense. Namely, the theme of this series of banknotes, to which the 500 syli note also belongs, is anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism.
Republic of Guinea, portraits on syli banknotes. Image: Bank Note Museum [banknote.ws].
Besides Josip Broz Tito, other foreign political leaders are depicted on the rest of the banknotes from this series: Moroccan King Mohammed V on the 2 sylis banknote; former President of Ghana Francis Nwia Kofie Kwame Nkrumah on the 5 sylis; former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Patrice Lumumba on the 10 sylis; King of Dahomey, Behanzin on the 25 sylis; and King of Labé, Alpha Yaya Diallo on the 50 sylis. People from Guinea are depicted on the 1 and 100 sylis banknotes: Mafori Bangoura and Samory Toure.
What all these people have in common is the struggle against colonialism and for the independence of their nations and countries.
Josip Broz Tito was placed on this banknote at a time when the Republic of Guinea was part of the „Non-Aligned Movement,“ and Tito himself was one of the main leaders of that movement. Furthermore, Tito was very popular in many African countries due to his policy of non-alignment, anti-imperialism, and anti-colonialism. In foreign policy, he advocated for the independence and autonomy of African countries and actively supported many of those countries politically, economically, and militarily. Therefore, in the end, it is not unusual that the Guineans placed him specifically on their largest banknote of that time.
Author: Zlatko Viščević
Source: NumizmatikaNET Portalhttp://numizmatika.net/)
Image sources: Bank Note Museum (https://banknote.ws/ Coins, Banknotes & Militaria Storehttps://www.cbm-store.com/).
