"A picture speaks a 1,000 words"
Rarely seen during exchange, banknotes offer a rare window to images, icons, symbols, metaphors and collective stories. The medium is rarely noticed but the messages are predominantly powerful. They reveal how nations view themselves and illustrate those projections to the rest of the world as well as to their citizens as their shared national identities.
But how is national identity defined in colonised nations? More importantly, how is it presented on their banknotes? And what are the interim and permanent impressions on their imagery, post colonialisation? This paper attempts to answer these questions by showcasing colonial and post-colonial banknotes from the 20th century.

Using content analysis, this presentation shall reveal the trajectories and transitions of colonialism on banknote imagery, a window into the past that opens doors to the future.