African countries are struggling to build robust identity systems
But that may soon change, thanks to help from an unlikely quarter
THE FIRST thing that visitors to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg see is a wall of identity cards—the pieces of paper that determined where people could live and work and whom they could love. From the outset, the apartheid regime’s ability to discriminate against “nie-blankes” (non-whites) depended on having a robust system of identifying people.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Papers, please”
Middle East & Africa December 7th 2019
- Elites backed by Iran are clinging to power in Iraq
- Arabs are losing faith in religious parties and leaders
- How the Iranian regime put down economic protests
- Algerians fear their election will be a blow to democracy
- Jammed streets highlight the challenges of Sudan’s transition
- African countries are struggling to build robust identity systems
From the December 7th 2019 edition
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