Friday, March 01, 2013

Identity Cards


People are trying various means of earning money in a hard climate. One of the least laudable is the identity card scam perpetrated by the minor officials in charge of this service which is reported from every town in Mali: It used to cost 1500 FCFA (E2.30) to get an identity card, including the pictures. Since the war started it is not possible to travel without an identity card- people have been thrown in jail or worse for not being able to prove their identity. So now the cards have increased tenfold in price (unofficially of course) and it is doubtful whether you would be able to get one for 15 000 FCFA (E23) today.

2 Comments:

Blogger David said...

Your posts these days have an extraordinary duality - usually a good story followed by a bad one or vice versa. I guess this is a reflection of changed times in Mali - but, as always, how refreshing to get the balance rather than the black or white press stories.

8:43 AM  
Blogger toubab said...

Ah, David, this place has always been a place of duality- it is either absolutely fantastic or utterly miserable! And with the war the ups and downs have become even higher and deeper...Birgit calls Mali "The Square Root of Emotional Rollercoasters"!

3:40 AM  

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