A late night San Diego DJ purchased an 11-acre plot of empty desert land in Southern California’s Imperial County to establish a new nation, created in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men -- and women -- deserve a good time.
Meet the 'Republic of Slowjamastan.'
It's about 100 miles from San Diego and technically a 'micronation' inside the United States. And as wacky as it may sound, experts say 'micronations' such as Slowjamastan are more common than you think - more than 70 exist around the world, though they're sovereign in name only and their independence is not recognized by any governing body.
Roadtrippers.com says 'Micronations are entities that claim to be sovereign states but aren't recognized by any organizations or other governments. Most of the time, they have their own flags, currencies, systems of government, stamps, passports, and more.
"There are a few scattered across America, so if you're interested in "international" travel without leaving the continental US, you can check out these micronations... that technically aren't in the US." Micronations are considered more as a project of creativity and their "activities are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than challenged by the established nations whose territory they claim."
What does it take to create a micronation? A Google search reveals that it's as easy as declaring one while understanding that you're doing it just for fun. As for Slowjamistan, the name references founder Randy 'R Dub' Williams' career moonlighting as a late night slow jams broadcast DJ on Southern California radio stations.
Williams says Slowjamastan has its own capital, 'Dublandia', its own currency the 'duble', official animal in the ringtail raccoon, and a national anthem titled 'Slowjamastan' (I Think It's Gonna Be An Awesome Place).
One thing Slowjamastan doesn't have? Any citizens actually living within its borders - though Williams says more than 5,000 'Slowjamastani' have registered for citizenship through its website.
"We have claimed independence, have land, borders, cultures and a kick-ass raccoon as a logo/national animal, soooooooo…we’re a country. Don’t fight it," the website says. Criteria for citizenship includes not listening to 'mumble rap' inside the 'country.'
Selfies are encouraged in front of the Slowjamistan sign. “That’s just kind of the tie-in we wanted – the land of slow jams where people could come and just vibe out and relax,” Williams said in a local report, “enjoy good music and good people.”
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