Passport wrangle hurts US rap star
A REPRESENTATIVE of American rapper Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, has spoken out on the star’s legal troubles following his arrest and release on bail.
Bey was arrested after he tried to board a flight from South Africa to Ethiopia last weekend with a World Passport – a document issued by the World Service Authority in Washington DC.
The representative, who spoke to Okayafrica and Foreign Policy, asked not to be named.
“He attempted to leave the country for a professional commitment and was denied the ability to board an aircraft after provid- ing his World Passport, which is issued by the World Service in support of the UN Declaration of Human Rights,” said Bey’s representative.
“His understanding is that the South African government had previously accepted the World Passport to enter the country and to provide visas as recently as August.”
The representative said Bey wanted to start using the World Passport because “it’s more representative of his personal ideals and philosophies”.
He added that Bey was disheartened by the way the police have treated young black men in the US and that he preferred the World Passport over his American one because of “the whole idea of the world as being a unified place, a place without borders or boundaries”.
David Gallup, president and general counsel for the World Service Authority, told Foreign Policy that “South Africa might call the World Passport fictional, but really, South Africa is fictional”.
“To have a leader like Nelson Mandela, who fought for so many years to free the people there, it’s kind of sad the country is treating a fellow human being as a criminal. That’s wrong.”
Bey’s representative shared similar views, saying: “It’s interesting that South Africa is where this is happening. South Africa went through hell, came out of it and is trying to make heaven.”
Bey has nine days to leave South Africa after he was arrested for violating local immigration laws. The court order means the rapper is banned from South Africa for five years, but may appeal to officials for leniency.