Self-proclaimed 'strange kingdom' in the middle of America

Randy "R Dub!" Williams, a late-night "slow jams" DJ from San Diego who has been dubbed the "king of Slowjamastan" for the past few years, puts it simply: "I've been to every country in the world recognized by the United Nations, so they want me to create my own country."

So Williams decided to buy an 11.07-acre piece of barren land in the California desert to build a new "country" named after his radio show: Slowjamastan.

Williams considers himself a monarch after buying a piece of desert land in Southern California in October 2021 for $19,000

Dressed in a nice suit and sunglasses, the king of Slowjamastan officially declared independence from the United States of America at 12:26 p.m. on December 1, 2021, as he broadcast the secession live from his open-air government "office" in Dublândia, the capital of the Republic of Slowjamastan.

Two years on, while the king of Slowjamastan has imposed a number of bizarre laws (like banning Crocs), the place has also issued its own passports, flown its own flag, printed its own currency ("the duble") and has a national anthem that is played on state occasions.

The Republic of Slowjamastan even claims to have more than 500 registered citizens, while another 4,500 are said to have been conditionally approved or are in line for citizenship. Now, Williams is poised to fulfill his lifelong goal of owning a country and is inviting tourists to visit the Republic of Slowjamastan as he plans to create the world's premier "micronation."

King of Slowjamastan

"When I'm not on the radio, I'm probably traveling to a country that few people have ever heard of," Williams told CNN shortly before setting off for Turkmenistan, the last of the 193 countries recognized by the United Nations. "One of the reasons I created Slowjamastan is because after 193 countries, I wanted to have 194!"

Williams said there were many people lining up to become citizens of Slowjamastan.

Officially called the United Territory of the Sovereign People's Republic of Slowjamastan, Williams' self-proclaimed "country" lies off California State Highway 78, a two-and-a-half-hour drive northwest of San Diego. The small patch of land is nothing more than desert, but Williams has erected a giant "Welcome to Slowjamastan" sign by the side of the highway. He has built a border checkpoint and flown a colorful Slowjamastan flag over his ministerial office, which is now open to all.

Williams was inspired to found his own country after visiting several "micro-nations" – self-declared territories often run by eccentric leaders – during his travels around the world.

In August 2021, Williams visited the Republic of Molossia, an 11.3-acre "micronation" in Nevada that declared independence from the United States in 1998, where he was given a personal tour by "the distinguished President Kevin Baugh." His passport was stamped and his photo was taken at the "border" with the United States.

Upon returning home to San Diego, Williams immediately began making grand plans for his own “micronation.” In October 2021, he purchased a plot of land for $19,000 and by December, he had declared the independence of Slowjamastan.

Williams has a Slowjamastan passport that has been stamped by 16 countries, including South Africa, New Zealand, Vanuatu and the United States.

A dictatorship in the desert

“We are a dictatorship,” Williams said, explaining his Republican system of “government.” “We will occasionally hold special voting ceremonies and referendums. Recently, I allowed the people to vote on what our national fruit, our national sport, and even what our national animal should be named.”

It may seem counterintuitive that a "republic" would have a dictator as its head of state, but that's precisely the point. Williams' travels took him to some of the world's most curious destinations, like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Williams enjoys posing for photos and giving public speeches in a bright green royal uniform, complete with fake military awards, gold epaulets and tinted sunglasses. He hires “border guards” and surrounds himself with “security” when he holds events in the Republic of Slowjamastan. Visitors and residents must follow a list of restrictions to avoid being “deported.”

There is now a long queue of people willing to share in his experiment of living in the “micro-state”. People can apply for citizenship and cabinet posts through the website Slowjamastan, which has proven popular with a backlog of applications running into the thousands.

This small country has its own currency ("the duble"), flag, national anthem, time zone (Slowjamastan Standard Time) and national symbol (the Slowjamastan raccoon).

Now, the country has opened its borders to tourists, and he told CNN the most popular sightseeing activities include taking a selfie in front of the Slowjamastan sign, visiting Independence Square and looking for the Slowjamastan bear.

His next big plan is to raise enough funds to build "a lazy river, an armadillo farm, an all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ establishment and of course, a giant statue/monument of the great leader himself."

Seeking diplomatic recognition

Williams said he was working to build diplomatic relationships with other countries and his Slowjamastan passport had been stamped by 16 different countries on recent trips, including South Africa, New Zealand, Vanuatu and the United States.

He clarified that Slowjamastan technically meets the criteria for a sovereign nation-state as defined in the 1933 Montevideo Convention, which is generally considered the best definition of a state.

Slowjamastan border opens for tourists to visit small region located 700 miles from San Diego

The Montevideo Convention required a state to have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the ability to establish diplomatic relations with other states, all prerequisites that Williams claimed the Republic of Slowjamastan met.

The next step would be for the monarch to recognize his nation's secession from the US, although that may be a bit far-fetched even for Williams.

“I’m a little disappointed to admit that, despite emails and direct messages to President Biden on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and MySpace, all of our messages have gone unread. They’re probably stuck in his spam folder somewhere,” Williams explained. “We’re not going to stop.”

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