No Joke

On the first of April no less than three micronations were founded. John Lennon and Yoko Ono announced the birth of their conceptual country Nutopia; the inhabitants of Užupis, a small neighborhood in Vilnius (Lithuania) declared independence, with a little bit of help from Frank Zappa; and in an effort to raise funds for their remote lighthouse, the Republic of Boon Island was born. Why is this date so important for micronations?

John Lennon and Yoko Ono during the press conference when they announced the birth of Nutopia.

If you take a look at the day on which micronations are created, it is hard to see a pattern. Dates of creation appear scattered year round, but there is a bump to be found on Fools’ Day. And with reason. This day is known since the middle ages for pranks, hoaxes and practical jokes. The origin of this tradition is not exactly clear, some say it started in France, others claim it was mentioned by Geoffrey Chaucer in his The Canterbury Tales. In the Netherlands this date is known as the day when the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo, aka Alfa, was defeated by the rebels in 1572. But a little ambiguity fits a day like this. Since the middle of last century, it even became a tradition for the media to announce events that a day later were declared to be false. So to pick this as a day for a new nation to arise makes sense, it gives such a declaration more symbolism. But jokes asides, these places still exist. Even though some only in the hearts and minds of people. Read more on Užupis, Nutopia and The Republic of Boon Island.

Frank Zappa memorial in Užupis, Lithuania.

Beny Shlevich

Postcard of Boon Island.

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