Recently, a friend called me from Germany to tell me that they might be moving back to Malaysia.
This is a Nigerian friend who used to live here – whose partner is from here – but who had to leave six years ago because they felt so stifled.
Now that they have a kid and a German passport, they’re considering moving back to Malaysia because they would prefer to raise their children in a Muslim country.
“I know my day-to-day experience won’t change that much,” my friend said on the phone, “but hopefully, now that I’m German, things will be a little easier for me legally.”
The passport you hold might not necessarily be a caste signifier, but it’s caste-adjacent. A passport signifies access. It signifies power. It tells other people – other governments – how you ought to be treated.
Your passport is all a government needs to determine whether or not they should consider you as a person.