The Sôgmô and Sanôba, the Sôgmô’s boyfriend, arrived on 18 July in Hamilton, Ontario, to attend MicroCon 2019. They were joined by Adam Camillus von Friedeck, known also in his own right as HM King Adam of Überstadt, and Dominic Desaintes, the Minister-President of Saint-Castin.
The first day, the Sandum delegation prepared for the weekend’s whirlwind events and welcomed the Castinian delegation to their accommodation. The following morning, the Sôgmô escorted the Überstadti delegation from Mississauga to Hamilton and, after a brief time for relaxation, travelled to the convention’s location to register.
In the evening, the Sôgmô and Sanôba attended the convention’s opening reception together. The couple met with many micronationalists, both familiar and unfamiliar. The Sanôba, whose first official micronational event the convention was, was introduced to many heads of state and of government from micronations around the world, while the Sôgmô met and conversed with Sandum friends and allies and also became friends with even more micronationalists throughout the evening.
The following morning, the couple and the two delegations staying with the Sandum delegation woke early to prepare for the day’s full proceedings. The Sôgmô wore an outfit specifically chosen for the occasion, which was comprised of grey jeans, a Sandum blue shirt with the six-syllable mantra (om mani padme hung) written in white, and a casual grey blazer. The outfit, which resembles outfits the Sôgmô wears to þess work as a graduate student instructor, not only contained Sandum symbols but also reflected the outlook Sandus has about micronationalism being a quotidian way of life.
The Sôgmô presented their paper on micronationalism and Ancient Greek history in both English and French. In 2017, a micronationalist at the last MicroCon claimed that poleis were ancient equivalents to modern day micronations. In their paper, the Sôgmô rejected the idea that Ancient Greek city-states were micronations, since they had many criteria of states that micronations lack. But there are some similarities between modern micronations and ancient city-states, það argued. In what followed, the Sôgmô compared the Montevideo Convention’s criteria to elements in the plots of Aristophanes’s comedy the Acharnians and of the historian Herodotus’s description of Cyrus the Great’s recognition as Persian nobility.
Það concluded by arguing that micronationalists should be careful when making historical arguments and should rely on sources or new ways of looking at older and well-known texts. They concluded that micronationalists should also look for a “more profound cultural independence” that is a more holistic way of being a micronationalist.
Þess paper was followed by Adam Camillus von Friedeck’s paper that identified colonialist tropes in micronationalism and micronational logic and also noted some key examples where micronations have reinterpreted colonialist attitudes toward territory. The king highlighted Sandus’s sovereign gradient condominium theory as one example on the question of territory and also the Sôgmô’s recent editorial on the use of the term “sôgmô.” He called upon the audience to both challenge land claims and also distrupt settler colonial arguments and rhetoric.
Over lunch in the middle of the convention, the Sôgmô met with King Adam of Überstadt and Minister-President Dominic Desaintes of Saint-Castin to have a working lunch. All three worked to discuss plans for an international community designed to be associated with the Social System and will seek cooperation on a variety of policy fronts to encourage Northern North American solidarity and internationalism.
Many wonderful presentations were given by more than a dozen delegates. Jordan Farmer presented an overview of Westarctica’s communication policies with its citizens in the past several years. This was the prime minister’s first MicroCon, as well. King George 2.0 of Slabovia discussed microphaleristics, the study of micronational medals, and gave practical and theoretical advice about medals and orders of chivalry. Aerican Emperor Eric presented on potential micronational healthcare policies and philosophies, including both public/private and traditional/scientific healthcare. And both Queen Carolyn of Ladonia and Grand Duke Travis of Westarctica advocated for younger micronationalists both to develop a raison d’être for their micronations, and to see warfare as a means to positive cultural ends and not to have “annoying” personal conflicts. Angyalistanais Emperor Olivier and Aiguesmortais Prince Jean Pierre IV both gave a joint presentation on the success of the Organisation de la MicroFrancophonie (OMF), the organisation that seeks cooperation across French-speaking micronations; Sandus is a founding member.
In the evening, the Sandum delegation was seated with the delegations from Slabovia, Ruritania, the ProHumanity Nation, and the Jusin Republic for dinner.
After the dinner, an awards ceremony began with ten nations giving awards to many in the audience. The Sôgmô awarded six people the Sandum decennary medal, designed by Dominic Desaintes, and presented three commendationes to Slabovians King George 2.0 and Chancellor Rankin MacGillivray and to Party Secretary Adam Camillus von Friedeck. von Friedeck also received an ovatio, a Latin poem written in a Sapphic stanza. The Sôgmô recited the poem, which describes the Party Secretary’s commitment to decolonisation and to history, both in Latin and in English. The poem also received the attention of Aerican Julie Golick, a medievalist by training, who congratulated the Sôgmô on the latinity of their poem.
The Sôgmô also received many decorations, too. These are:
- Knighthood in the Angyalistanais Order of the Golden Sextant
- Knighthood in the Castinian Order of Louis-Philippe the First
- Medal for a Better, Weirder World from the Aerican Empire
- Medal of Friendship from the Grand Duchy of Danduros
- Medal of Freedom from the Kingdom of Jupiter and the Greater Territories
- Certificate of Honor from the Kingdom of Pibocip
The Sôgmô and the Sanôba leave tomorrow to go on a personal trip to New England following MicroCon. There, they will visit the Sôgmô’s extended family. They will return to Quercus Candida on 29 July.
sandus.org 