Nutopia is a conceptual country, sometimes referred to as a micronation, founded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. One of the reasons that the country was founded was to address Lennon's then-ongoing immigration problems through satirical means. There is no leadership and not all citizenships have been recorded. As a result, the population is unknown. Nutopia is a portmanteau of "new" and "utopia" which suggests Nutopia is a new, utopian society.
History
On 2 April 1973, Lennon and Ono introduced the conceptual country of Nutopia at a press conference in New York City. The Lennons were ambassadors of the country and soughtdiplomatic immunity to end Lennon's ongoing immigration troubles, as he and Ono tried to remain in the United States.. Lennon talked about the imaginary country, which would live up to the ideals of his song "Imagine", saying this in the "official" declaration :
We announce the birth of a conceptual country, NUTOPIA. Citizenship of the country can be obtained by declaration of your awareness of NUTOPIA. NUTOPIA has no land, no boundaries, no passports, only people. NUTOPIA has no laws other than cosmic. All people of NUTOPIA are ambassadors of the country. As two ambassadors of NUTOPIA, we ask for diplomatic immunity and recognition in the United Nations of our country and its people.
In 2006, a Nutopia website was created that forwarded to a site about the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon, distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment.
Symbols
The flag of Nutopia has only one colour: white. At the press conference Lennon, waving a white tissue, stated, "This is the flag of Nutopia—we surrender, to peace and to love". According to a reporter for The New York Times, Lennon blew his nose on the tissue. Some criticised this association with surrender, but Lennon and Ono defended the association, saying that only through surrender and compromise could peace be achieved. Lennon's album Mind Games features the "Nutopian International Anthem", which is four seconds of silence. The hand-drawn Great Seal of Nutopia features a picture of a sealbalancing a yin-yang globe on its nose. A plaque engraved with the words "NUTOPIAN EMBASSY" was installed at the back entrance to the Dakota apartment where Lennon and Ono lived. Ono remarked decades later that guests preferred walking into her home through that door instead of the front entrance.
Legacy
Finnish singer-songwriter Kari Peitsamo, fan of Lennon's work, released a song called "Nutopia" on his album :fi:I’m Down|I’m Down. In 2009 a exhibit in New York displayed the letter that established Nutopia.
