Global Courant
Randy Williams, the sultan of SlovakiaCourtesy of the Sultan of Slowjamastan
Randy Williams, originally from San Diego, likes slow jams.
He loves them so much that he named his own micronation Slowjamastan after them.
“I ran out of countries, so I created my own,” Williams told CNN.
A San Diego man was so tired of living in a mainstream country that he went into the California desert and founded one.
Randy Williams, the self-proclaimed sultan of Slovakia – told CNN he had visited every UN-recognized country in the world but one: “I ran out of countries, so I created my own,” Williams told CNN.
The micronation is an 11.07-acre stretch of desert land off Route 78 in Southern California. Its official name is the Republic of Slowjastan, named after the leader’s love of slow jams.
On Dec. 1, 2021, Slowjamastan declared its sovereign status and seceded from the US proper, according to CNN — and now has its own flag, currency and national anthem.
It even has its own time zone, Slowjamastan Standard Time (SST), and 12 states are contained within the 11-hectare space, including Dublândia, the capital.
Williams told CNN he had visited at least one other micronation: the Republic of Molossiaa similar-sized micronation in Nevada that supposedly seceded from the US in 1998. Inspired by his visit, Williams went home and bought the California land in October 2021 before declaring the country independent three months later.
Whether Slojastan’s independence is recognized or not is debatable. Williams told Insider that he has failed to get President Joe Biden to acknowledge his micronation’s secession via email and social media. The country’s website says it is recognized by “The Sultan’s guise,” but doesn’t mention formal diplomatic relations with other nations.
In terms of governance, the nation of Slowjastan currently defines itself as a “dictatorship”, although that could change.
“Currently, we have over 5,000 wonderful, registered Slowjastans in the census,” Williams told Insider. “We haven’t scheduled an election, although it’s not off the table. I’m trying to get this beautiful nation off the ground before I let someone else run it into the ground!”
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And it’s not that Slowjamastan is a lawless place: it does have some rules, as defined in the “Slowjamastan Laws, Statutes and Regulations.”
“Crocs are not allowed in the Republic of Slowjastan,” the statute reads. “Punishment for Violation: We will forcibly remove a ‘crocodile’ and hit you on the head with it.”
Meanwhile, the sultan continues to perform paid work in and outside Slovakia.
“When he’s not ruling the world’s newest nation, our Dear Leader is hosting an internationally syndicated radio show called ‘Slow Jam on Sunday nightcurrently heard over 200 radio stations across America,” read Williams biography on Slowjamastan website.
Despite being the supreme leader of the country of slow jams, Williams, according to his biography, still “spends most of his time outside Slowjastan”. That’s about 70 miles away where he works as a radio DJ on San Diego stations Magic 92.5 And Z90,
“I visit as often as I can — I usually work from our US Consulate here in San Diego, California, United States of America,” Williams said. “Here I enjoy the luxury of electricity and running water. And a roof.”
Williams says he has “big dreams” for Slowjamastan.
“I want to build a grand palace for the sultan and his harem someday, but for now I’m focusing on the people,” Williams told Insider.
He says what’s in the works is a lazy river, an interactive armadillo farm, and an all-you-can-eat Mongolian restaurant.
“These are just dreams at the moment, although we started on the lazy river,” Williams said, adding a disclaimer that it is now just “a dry canyon.”
“There is no running water, but every other Wednesday we get the sprinkler out,” he added.
Read the original article Insider
