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2A THE WICHITA EAGLE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2006

Borat nominated

A leading Kazakh writer has nominated actor Sacha Baron Cohen for a national award for popularizing Kazakhstan. Novelist Sapabek Asipuly called on the Kazakh Club of Art Patrons to give Cohen its annual award, according to a letter published by the Vremya newspaper Thursday.

Cohen's fictional Kazakh character Borat "has managed to spark an immense interest of the whole world in Kazakhstan, something our authorities could not do during the years of independence," said Asipuly, who chairs the writers' guild "The Land and Destiny of Kazakhs." Authorities in the ex-Soviet republic have been enraged by Borat's unflattering portrayal of Kazakh life in the spoof documentary, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

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Kazakhstan undoubtedly does have an "image problem," much like one of my many digital photos where the flash didn't go off. Blow it up and brighten it using all the best tools available, and all you get is blotches and blurs and funny colors. Nothing could benefit the country more than a "sensational" spotlight that their own ambassador can turn in their direction.

Whether the ambassador's complaints were due to real indignation, or whether he's smart enough to see an op for needed/wanted publicity is immaterial to me. I don't see this movie greatly harming the national reputation, since the country has little reputation of any kind to begin with for most who may see the movie. (Or at least for any who would have seen it without the "controversy" generated by threads like this one all around the world.)

For all I know, the publicists for the movie may have made a substantial donation to the ambassador's favorite Kazakh charity in exchange for his "public complaint" since it certainly would be expected to generate - and has generated - publicity of mutual benefit to them both.

I haven't seen the movie, and probably won't. IF I SHOULD HAPPEN to see it, perhaps then I'll be able to have an opinion on its artistic merits and cultural significance; but until then it's in my file with stories about hollywood marriages and divorces and drunken/drug-blotted arrests, rehabs, tossed computers, and "political opinions" from spoiled brats.

But do carry on.

I think I'll take a nap.

John