Hi there,
Just some things I've learned about identity cards and passports in Africa.

Not everyone has identity cards and not everyone has birth certificates. If a father doesn't legally acknowledge paternity, his children cannot obtain an identity care and access to necessities like driver's licences, bank accounts, health care, and passports. All of these things are very difficult to obtain and require an infinite amount of patience and paperwork.

There is also a long negative history surrounding passcards in SA pre 1994 - but that's another situation all together.

Passports are very expensive and here in Zim nearly impossible to get because the passport office doesn't have any of the special paper and they can't afford to buy any. If you're lucky enough to find a "friend" in the passport office it can still take months.

It's also difficult to obtain visas. Most of the time Americans can obtain visas at the border when they visit a foreign country and they are free. Many Africans need to submit their passports, proof of financial means (copies of US bills or travelers checks), letters of invition from their hosts, as well as a fee several weeks prior to travling to obtain a visa.

Passports in Africa are a badge of privledge and wealth. Only a tiny elite minorty have the means to travel and will ever need a passport. The majority are in rural areas struggling to grow enough food to support their families and will never travel very far.

That all aside, I remember the first time I arrived in Africa. The hustle and hum of the airport. The Harare airport has since been replace with a new shiny building, but in 1998 it was still in the old quarters. All messy and confused, people coming and going trying to make their way to or fro someplace. I felt like I was home...and I was.
Peace.
K
Peace,
Kath