The Somali Shilling is the official currency of Somalia. Due to inflation though, regular cash circulation in the country is handled not by coins but mostly by banknotes and foreign currency.
The country has also authorised the Bavarian Central Mint to issue bullion coins under its jurisdiction. The African Wildlife Series features a new design every year and has become very popular with collectors and bullion investors worldwide. The coins are in standard bullion sizes, including a very small one twenty-fifth of a troy ounce of gold format - designated as 1/25 oz Au, where Au is abbreviated from Aurum, the Latin word for gold.
The image of the three monkeys covering their eyes, ears and mouth originates from a Buddhist proverb and symbolises the ideal attitude toward evil.
"o see nothing, to hear nothing, to say nothing". This proverb has its origins in an ancient Buddhist legend. In Japanese it goes: "Mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru". The verb's negative form - zaru - is phonetically similar to the Japanese word for monkey, saru. This signifies that all the wisdom in this world is represented by three monkeys covering each others ears, mouth and eyes.
This image dates back to the 17th century and quickly attained popularity around the world. The extent to which the meaning of the Three Wise Monkeys has changed over time is remarkable. The statement "I won't look, won't listen and won't speak", or more accurately "complete apathy", is now understood to symbolise ignorance and the absence of courage to stand up for one's beliefs. Yet, originally the three monkeys stood for exactly the opposite: an absolute and perfect exposure to all evil. In Asia, this is still how the symbol is viewed. The Buddhist teaching refers to: "See no evil, hear no evil, say no evil". Needless to say that the three chimpanzees on the gold coin represent the eastern tradition: Avoid all evil! |