John Lennon and Yoko Ono introduced a conceptual country named Nutopia during a press conference on April 2, 1973. Now, Nutopia is making a comeback with its very own website and Instagram page.
A post on the new Instagram page includes an article Ono wrote in 1982 for The New York Times. The excerpt reads:
“In the summer of ’73 in New York City, John and I invited the press to announce the founding of a conceptual country called ‘NUTOPIA.’ Anybody could be a citizen of this country. Citizens were automatically the country’s ambassadors. The country’s body was the airfield of our joint thoughts. Its constitution was our love, and its spirit, our dreams.”
Lennon and his wife held up white handkerchiefs to show their ‘surrender to peace’ at the ’73 press conference. The 91-year-old artist explained:
“Its flag was the white flag of surrender. A surrender to peace. We wished that one day we would take the flag to the United Nations and place it alongside the other flags as Nutopia was just another concept, as were concepts such as France, United States, and the Soviet Union. It was not a concept founded to threaten any other.”
They’re Bringing The Concept To Life
The concept of ‘surrender’ didn’t sit ‘too well’ with everyone back then. Ono shared:
“A radical friend of ours (Jerry Rubin) expressed that he, too, disliked the term. ‘Surrender sounds like defeat,’ he said. ‘Well, don’t you surrender to love, for instance?’ I looked at him. ‘No, he wouldn’t,’ I thought. ‘Are women the only people who know the pride and joy of surrender?’ I wondered.”
Still, the couple held onto the idea:
“‘It’s a waste of time to explain to a macho radical, didn’t I tell you?’ said John, a man who surrendered to the world, life and finally to Universe. ‘Anyway, don’t worry, Yoko. One day we’ll put it up there. You and I. I promise.’ I still believe we will.”
Now, the Nutopia website lets people sign up to become citizens. Yoko Ono’s final words in the post goes:
“It is time for you to rise. It is you who will raise the flag. I feel that John and I, as a unit, have done our share. The rest of my life belongs to our son, Sean. It is your effort, your flag. So remember, We are family. You and I are unity. In the joy of harmony, the world is one to infinity. Speak out. Speak out of love and you need not fear. We will hear. America The Beautiful. Surrender to Peace. I love you.”
It May Be For Album PR
The application form asks for visitors’ names, email addresses, countries, and messages for the world. The conceptual country’s website also shows a world map of the submitted messages.
Nutopia’s Instagram includes pieces of John Lennon and Ono’s interviews about the concept. The new posts seem to link back to the late Beatle’s ‘Mind Games’ because the 1973 album is getting a re-release in July 2024.
This deluxe reissue marks the record’s 50th anniversary and features two big box sets, 72 songs, and two Blu-ray discs.