Randy Williams (in the middle of the picture) founded Slowjamastan in the California desert in December 2021.In the California desert in the United States, there is a country that has declared its independence. It is called Slowjamastan, and surprisingly, there are 11 acres (about 44,700㎡) of land and people.Recently, CNN introduced Slowzamastan, a micronation built in the California desert. Founded by Randy Williams, a self-proclaimed sultan who works as a radio DJ in San Diego, the country is located near Southern California Route 78. The official name is the Republic of Slowjamastan, and the name is derived from Slowjam, which is a favorite.
Randy Williams, a self-proclaimed sultan who works as a radio DJ, founded Slowjamastan in the California desert.
It was founded on Dec. 1, 2021, and declared independence from the United States, surprisingly, it has its own laws, as well as its own flags, currencies, and countries. There are already more than 500 citizens here, and 4,500 have received conditional approval or are awaiting citizenship. Currently, there is no decent “palace” in the country, but there are “open” offices, border control posts, and signs welcoming entry. There is also a strange law in Slowjamastan that is not found in any other country, where wearing Crocs is confiscated and should not be placed on a vehicle dashboard.
Dubble, Slowzamastan’s own currency.It is also interesting why Williams, a self-proclaimed sultan, founded the country. Williams said, “I created my own country because I lacked a country,” adding, “I was so tired of living in an ordinary country that I built a country in the California desert.” In particular, he confessed that he was inspired by a visit to another American micro-nation, the Republic of Molossia. The Republic of Molossia is a micro-state located in the desert area of Nevada, United States.
Williams said, “I asked U.S. President Joe Biden to recognize the country through e-mail and social media, but it failed,” adding, “I live mostly in San Diego, but I want to build a magnificent palace in the country someday.”Meanwhile, micronation has three elements of the state: territory, people, and sovereignty. However, it is not recognized as a country by international organizations and governments around the world for various reasons, such as lack of effective control. It is known that there are about 400 micronations around the world that have declared themselves a nation.
TED PARK
US ASIA JOURNAL
