I have made the argument before that sometimes the visual of an action holds more value than its monetary worth. Here is yet another example...
In 1989, Kenyan President Moi acquired some 12 tons of illegally poached elephant tusks from his predecessors. Of course wanting to end the trade, he was advised to sell off the ivory and make $3 million to fight poaching. Nope. He had all of it stacked in a huge mound and burned. News media covered it and people paid attention. It set off a barrage of other nations to light their own elephant pyres and set a ban on the trade of ivory in Kenya. Had he sold it all and spent the money to buy new equipment and staff, there wouldn't have been the loud resolve that the burning had. The resolve was worth more than the money.
For extra info, go to RadioLab's podcast "The Rhino Hunter"