Slowjamastan: The New 'Nation' Hiding in the US

More than 25,000 self-proclaimed citizens have pledged their allegiance to this faux dictatorship, where Crocs and reply-all emails are forbidden.

Between the date palm farms of California's Coachella Valley and the Mexican border, a sunburnt stretch of desert the colour of worn khakis extends as far as the eye can see. This arid no-man's land is dotted with knee-high scrub bushes and spindly branches. The air vibrates with the steady hiss of insects. And shimmering in the distance, there's a submarine.

This is The Republic of Slowjamastan, the world's youngest micronation. Spread across 11 acres that unspool like a long ballad, these scorched badlands occupy territory drivers typically pass without a second glance. Yet, step inside and the real world slips away. In this "country", Crocs are constitutionally banned. Reply-all emails are forbidden by law. Speeding is permitted, but only if you're racing home with tacos. The national animal is the raccoon.

At the centre of it all is Randy Williams – also known as the "Sultan of Slowjamastan". When he's not lording over coyotes, desert iguanas and roughly 25,000 "citizens" who call his desert dictatorship home, he's the programme director for Z90 and Magic 92.5 radio stations in San Diego and is known across the airwaves as "R Dub". Since 1994, he has also hosted the radio show Sunday Night Slow Jams, which is now syndicated to more than 250 stations worldwide..

A passionate traveller, Williams spent years on a quest to visit every United Nations-recognised country. By early 2020, he was down to one final stop. Then the world went into lockdown. Grounded like everyone else during the global pandemic, Williams was restless. There was too much time and nowhere to go, but his mind continued to move at the speed of a jet plane. That's when it occurred to him: "If I can't visit another country, why not create one?"

Some 25,000 "citizens" from 120 nations are part of Slowjamastan – and many come to visit via its
"immigration booth" (Credit: Slowjamastan Ministry of Propaganda)

How to become a faux dictator

"As a child, I liked to do creative things, whether creative writing or drawing or making pictures or class projects. So this seemed like the ultimate one," the Sultan told me during a tour of the consulate (his office at the radio station), where he keeps a collection of propaganda from actual dictatorships around the world. "I could funnel all my creative energy into it."

He called his best friend, Mark Corona, to explain what he had in mind. Corona simply laughed. "The only thing I could think of was this episode of Family Guy where Peter started his own country, Petoria," Corona said. "I was rolling my eyes, like, 'OK dude. Where will this country convene? At your house?'"

Williams persisted, scouring a real estate site with a list of requirements. The land needed to be more than five acres, accessible by a paved road and within driving distance of  his home in San Diego. A single plot appeared. It was an undeveloped, sand-strewn parcel of scrub and rock listed for $19,500.

"It was love at first sight," Williams said. He purchased the land in 2021.

Williams tapped Corona to pick up a presidential-looking desk in Phoenix and haul it to Southern California. They unloaded it in the middle of the desert property and began marking their territory, erecting road signs on California State Route 78 that proclaimed their new nation: "Republic of Slowjamastan" – a name initially floated by Williams as a joke that stuck.

It didn't take long for local authorities to notice. The signs were cited for sitting too close to the road. Williams relocated them slightly to stay within the county rules while still proudly proclaiming his new micronation. 

"People were driving by wondering what the heck was going on," Corona said. "They [probably] thought we were terrorists, and that kind of fuelled the fire. [It] gave us even more attention."

But the roadside sign was just the beginning. First came the makeshift border checkpoint. Then came flags and passports. Before long, The Republic of Slowjamastan began to resemble an actual country.

"Suddenly I was buying police cars and coins and immigration booths," Williams said.

Williams proclaimed himself Sultan and started dressing the part, with dark sunglasses, pressed uniforms and ornate detailing that he admits echoes the theatrical military style of Libyan totalitarian ruler Muammar Gaddafi. In that role, the Sultan's voice shifts into what he calls a "GFA" – a general foreign accent – complete with elongated vowels, "z" sounds replacing "th", and rolled Rs.

Five years later, Slowjamastan now issues passports for interested travellers keen on becoming unofficial citizens, mints currency and holds flag-raising ceremonies. The land is divided into states, including Dublândia, Bucksylvania and the Queendom of Hotdamnastan. The Sultan even penned a national anthem: Slowjamastan (I Think It's Going to Be an Awesome Place) to the tune of Elton John's Rocket Man.

- Author: Maggie Downs, BBC

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