Occussi-Ambeno

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Flag of the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno

Occussi-Ambeno is a fictional Southeast Asian sultanate . It was created in 1968 by a group around the New Zealand anarchist , artist , impostor and collector Bruce R. Henderson, which continues to this day; it belongs to a series of pseudo and fantasy states that Henderson (sometimes also under aliases ) had already founded or later founded. The alleged sultanate gained notoriety by issuing postage stamps for decades , which are still collected today as Cinderellas by philatelists ; with official letters it interfered temporarily with the politics of the day and later also issued its own coins. Henderson and his group advocated a liberal drug policy and a world free of nuclear weapons , among other things .

For the comprehensive background story, Henderson mixed real and fictional , which is why his jokes and hoaxes were only gradually exposed. Thus, the apparent state a real counterpart in the then district Oecusse District-Ambeno the colony Portuguese Timor north of Australia . The name is derived from the two historical kingdoms in the area of ​​the exclave in the west of the island of Timor . Today the real Oe-Cusse Ambeno is part of the independent state of East Timor .

background

Henderson himself calls his plan, including the creation of the Occussi-Ambeno Sultanate, an art project. His entire oeuvre is sometimes seen as an illustrated novel made from hundreds of postage stamps that tell “a story of model countries and utopian fantasies.” Critics accuse Henderson of the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno, another bogus state (a “swindle state”). ) to have created to the detriment of philatelists. Henderson emphasizes, however, that he does not claim that his trademarks are intended and suitable for postal or other legal transactions in an actually existing state. Instead, he and his supporters use  the term “fifth world” for their pseudo and fantasy states - based on the term Third World for real developing countries . The fictional states are sometimes seen as a kind of role-play and the stamps in question as props.

The initiators of the Occussi-Ambeno Sultanate

Bruce Henderson aka Martin Renwick aka Bruce Grenville

The main initiator of the project is the New Zealander Bruce Ronald Henderson, born in Wellington in 1950 . After moving to the South Island at a young age, he later moved back north to Auckland . Until 1978 he ran the project under his real name, which he used again around 2000. From 1978 to 1981 he acted - due to police investigations against him - under the pseudonym Martin Renwick from a self-chosen Australian " exile ". From 1981 to about 2000 he used the stage name Bruce Grenville. He mainly worked as an illustrator, especially of philatelic printed matter. Henderson himself describes the majority of his works as "Artistamps", a subspecies of Mail Art . Henderson is sometimes seen as one of the most productive, but at the same time most charming, manufacturers of fantasy stamps today.

To his motivation he stated in 1983 that "anarchists could get a considerable amount of humor out of the idea of ​​a bizarrely unimaginable state, which most of the inhabitants of this planet would take at face value."

Within the fictional state, Henderson was initially given the role of Postmaster-General . In 1974 he rose to become the new sultan, Michael Ismail Abdullah (later Michael Ismail I), a role he played until 1995.

Henderson's supporters

The earliest supporters of Henderson were Geoffrey Mills and Ross Alexander. Mills had already been involved in Henderson's previous project, the real-life Timaru Cycle Mail , a privately run mail distribution system in Timaru, New Zealand . By 1974 he assumed the role of the first ruler of Occussi-Ambeno, Sultan Sir Waals Abdullah, Alexander the role of Sir Razzi Skleeb, Rajah of the Occussi-Ambeno province Umm al Quitair. From 1995 the Australian Gary Dean appeared, on the one hand as the organizer and designer of the websites of the Sultanate Occussi-Ambeno, on the other hand as the new Sultan Sri Gare I, who was depicted on stamps and coins.

The history of origin

Location of the real East Timorese exclave Occussi-Ambeno in the west of the island of Timor

Henderson and his supporters created the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno as a fictional state and parody in 1968 based on real circumstances. In the same year Henderson brought out the first postage stamps that he had designed and printed himself. In order to promote the appearance of a real state and to publicize and sell the brands, he set up an Occussi-Ambeno consulate in Auckland, New Zealand and the affiliated Occussi-Ambeno Overseas Philatelic Bureau ; In addition, he built up the news and press agency Markpress to distribute press releases that dealt with alleged events and happenings in Occussi-Ambeno.

Henderson first publicly described the genesis of the invented sultanate in detail in 1983, when he published a four-page article in an anarchist magazine entitled "Occussi-Ambeno - A Modern Satirical State". Many actions were "absurd and the scope far exceeded the expectations of the founders, both in terms of the scope of the printed works produced and the number of people who were intoxicated by the idea and who contributed to it."

Henderson deepened the presentation in his essay "Voyages to Imaginary Countries", which appeared in 2000 in the book "Artistamps" by James Warren Felter in Italy (AAA Edizioni, Bertiolo, Italy 2000); In addition to Occussi-Ambeno, he also describes the similar projects Fantippo (based on the children's book Doctor Dolittle and his animals by the English writer Hugh Lofting ), ICIS (International Council of Independent States, based on the United Nations for states of the "Fifth World") and Upper Yafa (with references to the real historical state of Upper Yafi ). Other primary sources are various websites created by Henderson and his supporters on the history and current situation, as well as a sales and advertising platform for stamps and coins that he set up himself.

Occussi-Ambeno's stamps

Starting in October 1968, Henderson produced an almost unmanageable number of its own postage stamps, special , surcharge , airmail and tax stamps for the fictitious state, initially using the simplest means . Little by little, they caught the attention of philatelists around the world and they still have a circle of friends as Cinderellas, i.e. unofficial brands. According to Henderson's own statements, the very first stamps (initially with the spelling Okusi-Ambeno) are said to have been created as early as April 1968 by overprinting original Indonesian stamps. Initially, he used an Adana hand-operated letterpress press and photocopier ; the first stamps, sometimes until 1972, were made up of individual letters, signs and symbols, as he was not yet able to use pictures with his simple means. The starting point was stamps for the fictional province of Umm al Qitair (based on the emirate Umm al-Qaiwain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is known and valued for its postage stamps ), which was followed by stamps for the entire Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno from 1969 1970 such for four other fictional provinces.

The first larger series "Floral" and "Imperial Crown" showed classic stamp motifs with symbolized flowers and the rain crown, with the series "Stoned Bears", the image of a bear intoxicated by drugs, but also a first curious motif typical of Henderson's joke . The first reprints celebrated, for example, the inauguration of a new provincial ruler, but also Henderson himself, the cultural revolution in China, the 75th birthday of Mao Tse-Tung (sometimes with the misprint "Birtday") and the 100th birthday of Lenin , the independence of Biafras and the targeted Sikkims and the moon landing of Apollo 12 . First stamps with picture motifs appeared in 1970; Henderson had individual stamps printed in the USA and Norway.

The Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974 and the subsequent attempts at independence by many Portuguese colonies such as East Timor drew Occussi-Ambeno and Henderson additional attention and made the project appear even more credible. In addition, Henderson gained a partner with experience in the stamp trade in the Spanish company Philanumismatica , based in Madrid . So from 1977 (and until 1984) the first multi-colored postage stamps in elaborate heliogravure were created for Occussi-Ambeno, initially cooperatively, until the Spanish company, believing in Henderson's power to represent the East Asian region, secured the right to own the stamps for a five-digit dollar amount to design, manufacture and market. The Occussi-Ambeno Overseas Philatelic Agency resided temporarily in Madrid from then on. The stamps (including a special stamp) were more widely used in Europe when they were presented and sold at the Amphilex 77 trade fair in Amsterdam in 1977 .

Differences of opinion between Philanumismatica and Henderson temporarily led to police investigations against the latter in New Zealand, ultimately unsuccessful, but also to his voluntary "exile" in Australia from 1978 to 1981. Under the alias Martin Renwick he brought only a few special stamps for Occussi-Ambeno during this time which were created by special imprints on older series.

From 1981 to 1990 a particularly wide range of postage stamps from the Occussi-Ambeno Sultanate was produced. The improved perforation made them look more professional; on the other hand, it became increasingly clear to experts that it was a fictional sultanate. Henderson had returned to New Zealand, now operated under the stage name Bruce Grenville and mixed classic stamp themes with the curious to the absurd: special stamps for science fiction conventions, including an image of the author Douglas Adams, or stamps for the 200th anniversary of the first balloon flight and the second Anniversary of a solar-powered desalination plant in Dragon Province, now partially with Libyan characters . Special stamps for the 1984 Olympic Games appeared alongside those for the International Anarchist Conference in Venice. From 1984 onwards, other artists, mainly New Zealand, designed the stamps; In addition to "classic" anniversaries, special stamps were issued to support a safer sex campaign, to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Captain William Bligh in Occussi-Ambeno after the mutiny on the HMS Bounty, or a special print on the occasion of the zeppelin's circumnavigation of the state airline Swiftair .

From 1990 to 2000 Henderson alias Grenville increasingly turned to other countries, partly fictional, partly historical, which he "revived"; Fewer new brands appeared for Occussi-Ambeno than in previous years. In the meantime, their quality continued to improve, partly through outsourcing the printing to third parties, partly through Grenville's switch from the typographic printing press to one for monochrome offset printing . Since about 2000 Henderson appears again under his real name; the number of brands for the Occussi-Ambeno Sultanate increased again, also due to the switch to color laser printers and the use of digital technology. In addition to stamps on classic stamp topics, Henderson created a series of "Heroes of Ecology" during this time, one each on the "monkfish" Felix Graf von Luckner , one on zeppelins and the extermination of fleas as well as stamps on the (alleged) visit of US President Barack Obama in Occussi-Ambeno, on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and on the 150th birthday of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius .

Further printed matter and coins of the fictional sultanate

Depending on the point of view, to deceive the readers and stamp collectors or as part of the role play, Henderson and his supporters created and distributed numerous other printed matter on the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno, from impressive headbows to diplomas and certificates for the award of the knightly dignity to ID cards, entry visas, flight tickets, Ship tickets, ballot papers and check forms for the State Bank of Occussi-Ambeno.

Various coins with the imprint "Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno" are also known from 1990, 1995/96 and 1997. Individual sources now assume that they do not come from the environment around Henderson, but from free riders . Only in 2006 brought Henderson and his supporters own coins from a copper - nickel - alloy out gilded face value of 50 dollars and silver to 10 dollars with an image of Gary Dean as Sultan.

The media coverage

The press articles from the Markpress agency launched by Henderson were partly picked up and distributed by serious media. In 1973, for example, the front page of the prestigious New Zealand daily New Zealand Herald saw the news that the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno had recognized the newly proclaimed Republic of Minerva , a micronation in the South Pacific. Several books and internet articles took over Henderson's press release that the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno had been officially recognized by the small states of Liechtenstein and Monaco , for which there is no reliable evidence and which in part contradicts actual facts (for example, Liechtenstein has been diplomatic since 1919 by the Switzerland represented). The news that the country has no anti-drug laws, has a flourishing magic mushroom industry and supports the anti-nuclear movement can also be found in several publications.

In the early 1970s, articles about the "Sultanate" appeared in British and American philatelic magazines .

The fictional history of the sultanate and real backgrounds

The fictional story of the Sultanate mixes reality and fiction. Accordingly, the port city "Oekusi" is said to have been founded in the 15th century ( sic ) as a supply station for Portuguese privateers . The administration was recently moved from Okusi to Pante-Makassar . In 1975 the " Indonesian provinces" ( Indonesian Propinsi Indonesia ) were annexed as a special construct as a result of a "petiton of the Indonesian people". Even a list of historical rulers up to 1848 was invented. This year, seven tribes are said to have united to repel the invading Portuguese. Independence was achieved by fiction after 1968, with the seven provinces supposed to have full internal autonomy.

According to the micronation's homepage, the head of state is Sultan Sekrup Semesta Alam Sri Sultan Gare, the Sultan and Yang Di Pertuan . He chairs the Council of Ministers and appoints its members. His deputy should be Sultan Muda Yang Manis Aden , Foreign Minister Eddy Tansil . The fauna also belong Garuda -Vogel and the Flying Naga Unggu (Indonesian for "Purple Dragon") connected to the Komodo dragon is to be related. The "Okusi Ringgit" (sic) is named as the currency. The smaller unit is called "Sen". An OA $ is said to be worth $ 1.23. The armed forces consist only of the palace guard battalion, but they have bilateral defense agreements with Brunei , Sedang , Taiwan , the Vatican and the Hutt River Province . Arms supplies and maintenance contracts have been agreed with Singapore . The national airline uses helium- filled zeppelins as a means of transport .

The flag of the Sultanate is the mirrored flag of Madagascar . The Garuda, who is said to live in the fictional sultanate, is a mythological bird that can be found in the coat of arms of Indonesia among other things.

Although much of the Malay Archipelago is Muslim, including the Sultanate of Brunei, the population of Oe-Cusse Ambeno is now almost entirely Catholic. At the time of the departure of the Portuguese, most of the inhabitants still belonged to the animistic religion of Timor .

The Portuguese first reached the region in the 16th century and set up their first base on Timor in Oe-Cusse Ambeno. When the colony of Portuguese Timor was to be granted independence, a civil war was started in Indonesia . With reference to the controversial Balibo Declaration , Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 ( Operation Seroja ), annexed the country and occupied it until 1999.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ocussi Ambeno micronation on the Flags of the World web portal , accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Geir Sør-Reime: Long Live the Sultan! - The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson . (pdf; 48 pages), Introduction (pp. 1 and 2), accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Geir Sør-Reime: Long Live the Sultan! - The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson . (pdf; 48 pages), Part 1 (pp. 2–12), accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  4. ↑ a b c d Geir Sør-Reime: Long Live the Sultan! - The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson . (pdf; 48 pages), Part 4 (pp. 26–37), accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  5. ↑ Geir Sør-Reime: World of Stamps: Occussi-Ambeno (pdf) on the web portal stampnewsonline.net , issue 18, June 1, 2012, background to and images of various stamps of the Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno, including versions of the "Stoned- Bears ”series, accessed July 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ Geir Sør-Reime: Long Live the Sultan! - The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson . (pdf; 48 pages), Part 2 (pp. 12–15), accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  7. ↑ Geir Sør-Reime: Long Live the Sultan! - The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson . (pdf; 48 pages), Part 3 (pp. 15–26), accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  8. ↑ Geir Sør-Reime: Long Live the Sultan! - The World and Stamps of Bruce R. Henderson . (pdf; 48 pages), Part 5 (pp. 37–48), accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  9. ↑ Christer Brunström: Cinderella Time: Occussi-Ambeno - A Philatelic Invention on the web portal stampsnewsonline.net , issue 56 of August 7, 2015, accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  10. ↑ The history of the (fictional) Sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno and an overview of the coins issued under it on the web portal chiefacoins.com , category: Micro-Nations , accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).
  11. ^ Burkhard Müller : Verschollene Länder - A world history in postage stamps . To Klampen Verlag , Springe 2013. ISBN 978-3-8667-4257-4 (e-book), 200 pages, chapter: Occussi Ambeno (3 pages).
  12. ↑ American Philatelic Association (ed.): Of the World , in: American Philatelist and Year Book of the American Philatelic Association (magazine), 1984, p. 965 with further references (English).
  13. ↑ a b c d Website of the initiators of the (fictional) Sultanate (here now in the spelling Okusi-Ambeno) , accessed on July 15, 2019 (English).