Mos Def retires

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Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, moved to South Africa in 2013 on a visitor’s permit, which he overstayed. When he tried to leave the country via Cape Town last week, using a “world passport”

The world passport was invented by an American man, Garry Davis, in the 1950s. In 1954, Davis set up the World Service Authority (WSA) to promote the idea of “world citizenship” – he had renounced his US citizenship in 1948 – and the world passport was intended to help stateless people and refugees. Davis himself used one, and was repeatedly arrested for doing so.

Bey was issued with a world passport a month ago, the WSA’s current head, David Gallup, told the Burlington Free Press, a paper based in Garry Davis’s hometown. “Like Garry, Yasiin Bey sees himself as a citizen of the world,” Gallip said. “His website is A Country Called Earth. But the airport officials made a big mistake. South Africa has recognised world passports many times previously. I’ve been in touch with his New York lawyer. The situation is still fluid.”

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