Well, it's been over a year since I got back from Cameroon. Haven't written since. But the following won't fit on Facebook. Maybe y'all will come here to read what I have to say:
When I was in Cameroon last year, we set out on our first trip to a village and my dear friend (college roommate 40+ years ago) said, "Do you have your passport?" "My Passport?" I asked? After all, I had gotten into the country just fine. We had to drive half an hour back to her house get it. Yup, sure enough, later we came to a roadblock. Had to show our papers -- citizens as well as non citizens. Ruth even had to show a document explaining where we were going and why! This happened often in the 6 days I was there. ONce we were told we had six people in a car for five. Fortunately, my friend's husband is an important, well-known person. I don't know how our hassles would have gone if she had not been with us with the name she has. THese road blocks are mostly illegal -- people trying to convince you that you owe a fine for this or that. But they are allowed, out in the open, all over the place.
I remember Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu saying years ago, before apartheid was over in South Africa, that the blacks had to carry papers (not the whites as I recall). One day, when he walked across the street to get a newspaper, he was apprehended. He'd forgotten his papers, so he was hauled off to jail and harassed.
There's something deeply wrong about having to show papers anytime, anywhere. Especially if the rules are different depending on your race. If this law goes into effect in Arizona at the end of next month, I'll surely want to see how many white people are asked to show their papers!!!
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