The rapper formerly known as Mos Def was arrested in South Africa after trying to leave the country on a “world passport.”
Unfortunately for Mos, who now goes by Yasiin Bey, this world passport thing was not recognized by authorities.
As a result of these actions, Bey is now banned from South Africa for five years and has two weeks to leave the country.
However, a spokesman for Bey told OkayAfrica that the world passport is a legitimate document and that the allegations lodged against him are bogus.
He issued a statement that read:
“From what I’ve read their allegations are wrong. He attempted to leave the country for a professional commitment and was denied the ability to board an airplane after providing his World Passport.
“It’s issued by the World Service —in support of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
“His understanding is that the South African government has previously accepted the World Passport to enter the country and to provide visas as recently as August.”
Although Bey has a U.S. passport, he chose not to use it for social and political reasons.
“He considers himself a world citizen and wanted to to use his World Passport in support of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.”
Bey was trying to board a plane to travel to Ethiopia to perform in the Selam Music Festival.
The entertainer, who was popular in the 90s and appeared in films like The Italian Job and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, entered the country on an American passport in 2013 and overstayed his visitor’s permit in 2014.
