2008 Woodie Awards
'Booyakasha' Kazakhstan, use Ali G as your ally
Borat is like Kazakhstan's mascot to the West, albeit a rather unflattering one.
By: Andrea Noble
Issue date: 12/1/05 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has long stirred up trouble in Europe with his hip-hop fantastic alter ego, Ali G, in his spoof-interview based show "Da Ali G Show." But it's the character Borat, his portrayal of a Jew hating, sex-crazed Kazakhstani journalist that may end up getting him in trouble with the government of Kazakhstan.
After Cohen's recent hosting of the MTV European Music Awards in character as Borat, a spokesman for the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan issued a statement condemning Cohen's portrayal of Kazakhstani citizens and threatened legal action. The spokesman even went on to speculate that Cohen "is carrying out a political assignment with the aim of defaming Kazakhstan and its people to create a persistent negative stereotype in the international arena." Cohen obviously struck a nerve.
The fact of the matter is, most Americans probably have no idea where the Central Asian country is located, let alone that the country is the ninth largest in the world or that it has oil reserves estimated at over 35 billion barrels. Borat is like Kazakhstan's mascot to the West, albeit a rather unflattering one. But what is Kazakhstan expecting? There simply aren't enough Dali Lamas or Gandhis to go around.
According to the United States report on human rights in Kazakhstan, domestic violence affects nearly 63 percent of women, the press is monitored and bullied on a regular basis, and human trafficking occurs regularly. As is, the country doesn't exactly have the cleanest reputation. However, suing Cohen will only tarnish the country's image further. Instead of equating Kazakhstan with vodka-hoarding misogynists, the world will instead be left with the impression the Kazakhstanis are cold people, devoid of humor and incapable of laughing at their own expense.
In his show, Cohen sets the character Borat up as a foreign reporter unfamiliar with American society and culture. He is therefore able to push the boundaries of social interaction to see how far Americans will go to accommodate his ignorance. For weaponry, Borat is particularly prone to brandish derogatory statements about women and Jews. One of his famous skits involves leading a sing-a-long in Texas to a "traditional" Kazakhstani folk song called "Kick the Jew down the well."