Rapper Mos Def, also known as Yasiin Bey, has to report to South African police every two days after trying to travel with a "World Passport.
Image: AP/Matt Sayles
This is a simple idea that can solve many problems-
Should you really invest in a World Passport?
This week, when the American rapper Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) was arrested in South Africa and accused of trying to travel with false documents, the obscure document received attention. The 42-
The one-year-old claimed he was told that the world passport was valid, but authorities said it was illegal.
He was released on bail of $435 and ordered to report to the police every two days until March 8.
On Wednesday, Kanye West made a statement on behalf of Mos Def in which he rhymes: "I have no crime anywhere, why are these cops in front of me, why are they? why am I not safe?
"Here, my intention is pure, and as for everything I love and value, so is my wife and children, and I am not guilty, why are they wasting my time?
"Mos Def has lived in South Africa for almost three years and entered the country using a US passport.
Here's what you need to know about unusual documents.
What is it?
A World Passport is a machine-readable travel document similar to a traditional passport issued by most countries in the world.
These passports are now run by Washington. based non-
Profits are called World service organizations. Ten-
Annual passports can be purchased from the website for about $100.
Tourists are waiting to take pictures at US customs in San Francisco.
Source: What is the World Service Authority?
The authorities advocate the concept of world citizens that a person should find a community among all people on this planet, rather than in a nation-state.
It also provides marriage certificates, birth certificates, and other documents that are normally issued by the government.
Where did it come from?
On 1948, Gary Davis, a former Broadway actor and former WWII bomber pilot, announced that he had given up American citizenship and declared himself a "citizen of the world ".
In 1953 in Ellsworth, Maine, Davis announced the formation of a world civil government.
He later established power as his executive.
Davis in South Burlington died two years ago at the age of 91.
Why did you buy one?
Davis created the world passport in the 1950 s as a way for stateless persons and refugees to obtain identification that can be used to cross international borders.
The agency says the World Passport represents "the inalienable human right to freedom of travel on Earth.
Who recognized them? It’s unclear.
The World Service Agency website lists 183 countries that the organization claims recognize by affixing a visa or entry-exit stamp on their passports.
It also claims that passports have been officially recognized by some countries.
Davis himself was arrested several times for trying to enter the country without official documents.
The World Service Agency website is designed to display images of the World Passport stamped by Australian immigrants.
Immigration officials have been contacted for comment.