Kazakhstan declares war on Borat

For the record, I've seen the trailer for the Borat movie and it's hilarious. The Kazakhs, of course, aren't laughing. From the Telegraph:

"The President of Kazakhstan is so enraged with the racist view of his country portrayed by the comic character Borat in a new film that his government is to pay for educational advertisements ahead of Nursultan Nazarbayev's trip to America this month.

In 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,' Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator of Ali G, brings to the big screen the character who depicts Kazakhs as anti-Semitic, primitive, dirt-poor Communists.

Kazakhstan's President has ordered the counter-campaign to run in leading American newspapers before he meets George W Bush. The White House would not confirm rumours that the two leaders would discuss Baron Cohen's film.

'Kazakhstan is an important strategic partner in Central Asia,' said a White House spokesman. 'The President and President Nazarbayev will discuss a range of issues including democracy promotion, the war on terror, energy diversification and our commitment to working together to advance freedom.'"

Please don't tell me that White House comment was in response to the Borat movie. Rumors that the leaders would discuss the Borat film? Who cares?? Then again, Kazakhstan doesn't have that much else going on...

"... Despite his faith, Baron Cohen, who appeared in the Footlights amateur comedy group while at Cambridge, is no stranger to turning his Judaism to comic effect.

A year ago, the Kazakhstan government threatened the actor with legal action for Borat's insulting commentary on Kazakhstan.

They particularly objected to the anti-Semitic song that Baron Cohen got a group of American cowboys to sing along to, with its abusive lyrics:

'Throw the Jew down the well/ So my country can be free/ You must grab him by his horns,/Then we have a big party.'

Baron Cohen responded to the legal threats by remaining in Borat guise and saying, 'I'd like to state I have no connection with Mr Cohen and fully support my Government's decision to sue this Jew. Since the 2003 reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilised as any other country in the world. Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hats, and age of consent has been raised to eight years old.'"

Hah! Nazarbayev needs to realize that this isn't the best publicity his country can get, but it's the only publicity his country can get!

Comments

[Reaps]

Aw man, gays got free blue hats? Scammed.

[Lewis B. Sckolnick]

Coming soon from KazKino

Borat

Borat II

Borat III

Borat IV

[Alex Parkhomenko]

KazakhFilm, to be precise...

I don't think hype costs millions on the New York Times advertisement...

Most of Americans are not genius in geography... And they could assume that Borat's Kazakhstan is the real Kazakhstan...

[Lewis B. Sckolnick]

Kazakh Film formerly Kazakh Kino

[Say It]

Lols!Why do the Kazak's government got so mad?Is it because they don't understand jokes or cause they still have hidden nationalism issues?Understandable why they try hard not to lose there position at a worldwide perspective,but I think they trying to hard....with the current "family" at the head of the country it will live by there nomadic(zhyz)traditon and think that 1 kazak is better then 2 jews or 2 russians!