It seems that Kazakhstan has changed its position on Borat a bit.
Last Sunday, however, the lawsuit evaporated. ”We understand that [Cohen's act] is satire and it appears his target is not the Kazakh people but foreigners stupid enough to believe all this rubbish about our country,” an official at Kazakhstan’s British embassy told London’s Daily Star. Apparently, Cohen’s provocations have boosted tourism: ”More people are applying for visas to Kazakhstan than ever… ,” said the official. ”It seems that many are intrigued by [Borat] and he’s introduced them to the country.”
It’s probably too much for me to take credit for any of that.* And explicitly linking the bump in tourism to Borat is a bit much as well. However, treating Borat like what he is–a bizarre opportunity for Kazakhstan–is much better use of the time of Kazakh officials than denouncing him (and giving him more opportunities to poke fun at Kazakhstan) is.
And one final point. I applaud the embassy’s dig on people stupid enough to believe Kazakhstan is as Borat presents it.
*Which is probably just as well, because then I’d want consulting fees. And then next thing you know, I’d probably end up like Giffen.
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Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.