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of the nicest in the world. We would like everyone to come experience Kazakhstan for themselves by visiting our country in 2021 and beyond, so that they can see that Borat’s homeland is nicer than they may have heard,” he said.
The idea for the campaign came from American Dennis Keen, who travelled to the country on a high school exchange, then studied with a Kazakh professor
at Stanford University. He now lives in Almaty, where he gives walking tours,
hiking with a selfie stick, (“Very nice!”), drinking fermented horse milk (“Mmm, that’s actually very nice!”), marvelling at the architecture (“Wow, very nice!”) and posing for a photograph with Kazakhs in traditional dress (“That’s very nice!”).
Some Kazakh citizens have expressed outrage at Borat 2, prompting Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond to the anger. The ministry said the movie was a commercial project
profit the film creators get. Gaining superprofits pushes the authors to continue the movie. In fact, the film has a clear form of racism and xenophobia. Our citizens are outraged by explicit racist remarks for a reason," the ministry’s statement added.
The first Borat film’s version of the Kazakhstan national anthem begins with the words: “Kazakhstan greatest country in the world, all other countries run by little girls.” (The true anthem begins: “Sky of golden sun, steppe of golden seed”.)
After the release of the first Borat film in 2006, the Kazakh government placed ads in US newspapers taking issue with some of the film’s claims. The ads also represented the country as modern, stable and outward-looking. The advertisements coincided with a visit
to the US from then Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Later in 2006, Nazarbayev chuckled when asked about the film while on
a visit to the UK. “The very fact that you have put that question – you will want to learn more and come to Kazakhstan to see for yourself,” he said.
“The people of Kazakhstan and its state symbols are mocked for provocation purposes. The noted protest is meaningless as it has no recipient”
according to the New York Times. Keen reportedly pitched the idea to the Kazakh tourism board and “immediately” got the go-ahead to make some ads.
After the approval of the slogan was secured, four short ads highlighting the country's culture and destinations were launched, each using the "Very nice!" catchphrase. The ads show tourists
that intentionally provokes protest from Kazakh citizens for the purpose of self- promotion. Some Kazakhs demanded
a ban on the movie.
"The people of Kazakhstan and its state symbols are mocked for provocation purposes. The noted protest is meaningless as it has no recipient.
The more outrage it gets, the more
Kyrgyzstan's China debt:
Between crowdfunding and austerity
Chris Rickleton for Eurasianet
Whoever is in power after Kyrgyzstan’s presidential elections in January may have to look beyond the budget to service swelling state debt – a big chunk of which is owed to China.
The Export-Import Bank of China, which holds around $1.8bn of the $4.8bn total, is not among the creditors that have granted Bishkek fresh grace periods.
On November 16, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev held
a phone conversation his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in which he “drew attention to the importance of providing assistance in alleviating the burden of external debt on the country's budget.”
Kazakbayev also pledged that Kyrgyzstan would protect Chinese businesses, a vow that has assumed particular salience since several Chinese companies came under threat during the recent political unrest.
He might have saved his breath.
Prior to being ousted as president
last month, Sooronbaj Jeenbekov
and other top officials tried several times to persuade the Chinese to defer Kyrgyzstan’s repayments.
Former deputy prime minister Erkin Asrandiyev claimed in April that Bishkek’s request had "found understanding" in Beijing.
But China has said nothing publicly to lend credence to this impression.
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