African micronations, although often overlooked, offer a fascinating look at the cultural diversity and aspirations found on the continent. This article will explore some of these micronations and how they are responding to today's challenges.
Among them, the Empire of Guanduania stands out for its location in Mozambique, in southern and Portuguese-speaking Africa, and for its philosophy focused on justice, freedom, and equality.
Founded in 2017, the Empire of Guanduania presents itself as a micro-nation committed to the promotion of universal values. Guanduania adopts a holistic vision which is summed up in its motto: “One race, one family, one planet, one universe.”
On these humanist bases, Guanduania is one of the most advanced micronations in the progression towards food self-sufficiency. Indeed, agriculture holds a central place in its economy with the cultivation of fruits and vegetables to which is added the breeding of poultry. These results in this area demonstrate that food self-sufficiency is possible for micronational communities operating in rural areas. The intention of Guanduania is all the more beneficial because it obtains good results by focusing on real food needs and not on purely mercantile aspirations.
The Empire of Guanduania, through its universal values, offers an interesting example of an African micronation. By exploring its principles, concrete initiatives and unique connection to agriculture, we gain a deeper perspective on the diversity of micronational aspirations in Africa. His projects teach us valuable lessons about finding alternative solutions, local sovereignty, and the unique challenges faced by small communities.
Let's leave southern Africa to join the western, French-speaking part of the continent in Côte d'Ivoire, more precisely, where a real micronational spring is taking place. Since February 28, 2016, the Republic of Toubak was born with young people passionate about politics. The micronation's primary purpose was to be a state simulation in which they could design and debate. Toubak quickly evolved to become a micronation with 439 inhabitants today.
Here too, we find a real existential sense because this micronation does not hesitate to take positions and open social debates in a country still reluctant to certain developments such as, for example, that of LGBTQ+ rights.
In the example of Toubak, we thus observe a form of educational micronationalism which opens discussions on subjects still considered taboo by state institutions. We are indeed witnessing a micronationalism which becomes an actor in the evolution of a society.
The Republic of Toubak is not the only micronation located in Ivory Coast. The State of Nova Troy, made up of a federation of Ivorian and French micronations, has also been acting for several years. The two micronations maintain very close ties and help each other. Nova-Troie was the first to join the Microfrancophonie and Toubak submitted her application for entry into this organization.
We have seen that micronationalism in Africa embraces useful causes which give it meaning in the areas of food self-sufficiency and social debates. But that's not all because another example could well be colonialism.
Bir Tawil, the country of Sovereigns who came from elsewhere to “do good”.
Her seven-year-old daughter wanted to be a princess and in theory she has. Jeremiah Heaton, who lives in rural Virginia, traveled to the border of Egypt and Sudan where a patch of land, Bir Tawil, is not officially under the auspices of either country. It has no government, no city and no permanent inhabitants. After planting his flag, he therefore declared his daughter Emily, princess of the “Kingdom of Northern Sudan”.
In his enthusiasm, the conquering Heaton defended his initiative with good intentions: “We are going to help the children of Africa who have nothing to eat. We are going to make a garden that will be as big as our territory. "
The facts date back to 2014 and since then, not a single dandelion has grown from Bir Tawil, the local nomads have not died of hunger and still live with knowledge of the land and the resources at their disposal.
As for our Princess Emily, she has grown up well of course. Today, it is not sure that the young girl would choose the burning desert of Bir Tawil if she was asked to choose between this destination or taking a spring break with her friends in Cancùn.
If the nomadic Bedouins of Bir Tawil thought they had finished with this monarchy based on the pseudo-right of flag planting, well they were wrong. A year later, it was the turn of Amir Haiyawi, living in Belgium, to place on his head a crown of King of Birland. On his site, we learn that his title of King was conferred on him by King Denis Okafor, of the ancient kingdom of Ezeigbo Ohanaeze, somewhere in central Ghana.
Here again, the King of Birland became the Sovereign of our brave Bedouins of Bir Tawil for altruistic reasons, his heart "having been broken by the fact that the latter could not have birth certificates, access to running water, nor education."
Whether we find this legitimacy valid or not, the fact remains that the "State of Birland" benefits from a real network of citizens in several countries, which is far from being the case of Emily, Princess of "Kingdom of North Sudan". As for the Bedouins of Bir Tawil, this “game of throne” between micro-colonialists seems far from their concern.
Africa is full of different cultures that have persisted for millennia. Micronationalism is not intended to take a population hostage or to speak in its name without its agreement, as is the case for Seborga, Christiania, Uzûpis or Aigues-Mortes.
It is therefore important to differentiate between micronations based on values like Guanduania, Toubak and Nova Troy, which gives the African continent a promising and remarkable micronational spring.
The case of Bir Tawil cannot be associated with it because it is an individual initiative of people who proclaimed themselves Sovereigns of a nomadic and secular people who never asked them anything. Perhaps this is an example of a red line that micronationalism should never cross.
Comments