What do Kazakh people think about the resurfacing of Borat?
The release of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on Amazon Prime Video has been a source of light-hearted humor for some people looking to unwind from their everyday stressors, but is it OK to laugh at an entire ethnic group’s expense?
Many Kazakh people have taken to social media to speak out on the movie they claim is racist and xenophobic with the hashtags #cancelborat and #cancelborat2, which have generated thousands of posts, as well as with an online petition on AVAAZ that has garnered over 100,000 signatures.
Mira Ungarova, a 17-year-old student activist from Almaty, Kazakhstan, said she doesn’t think boycotting the film is the most effective way to educate people but believes there is value in the trending hashtag.
“You can find a massive amount of valuable and useful information,” Ungarova said. “It’s not so much about canceling as [it is] unity, self-identification, decolonization, acknowledgment of one’s privilege, and the fight against ignorance.”
Kazakhstan’s tourism board was quick to use the film as a marketing tool releasing short promotional videos that include people using Borat’s catchphrase “very nice.” Although some Kazakh people, as well as political figures, have embraced the film for increasing tourism to Kazakhstan, many citizens do not feel the same way.
Akan Satayev, a director and producer at Kazakhfilm, a Kazakh film studio located in Almaty, said that although he would not promote Borat, he believes it could benefit the nation.
“If this film prompts additional interest in Kazakhstan in the world, we should turn it into a big plus for our country,” Satayev said.
Kazakh American Association, a non-profit organization, sent a letter to Amazon condemning the release of the film:
“Considering today’s socially aware political climate, why is a racist film which openly berates, bullies and traumatizes a nation comprised of people of color an acceptable form of entertainment that meets Amazon’s ethical values?”
Dinara Satzhan, an entertainment journalist, blogger and entrepreneur from Kazakhstan, said she did not watch Borat 2, nor does she have any intention to increase viewership.
“This is not a film, but a theater of absurdity and hype,” Satzhan said. “It’s clear that Cohen [who plays Borat] wants to draw attention to his work and make money on it from the teaser of the film.”
With a 70% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and critics bolstering the success of the film, it is understandable why Borat and its 2006 prequel have been defended as harmless humor. Nicholas Barber, a film critic, went as far as to call the film “urgently satirical,” in a review for BBC Culture.
Ungarova said the positive reaction to the film from Western society is an indicator of white privilege as people are ignoring the negative consequences for Kazakh people. Since the release of the first film 14 years ago, she has heard stories of students who have traveled abroad and faced discrimination and mockery at the hands of Borat jokes.
Although there are Kazakh people who support and defend the film as comedic and satirical, Ungarova believes that these individuals want to feel accepted by Western society and have internalized the concept of “white approval.”
“Racism towards Asians, in general, lacks attention. It is devalued, unrecognized, normalized. Consequently, a reflex is triggered in Kazakhstanis, and a ‘pick-me-Asian’ kind of behavior is taking root,” Ungarova said.
In a Twitter post, Qasym-Jomart Toqayev, the President of Kazakhstan, did not directly address the film but stated he supports parliamentary members and citizens in their proposal to revise laws and regulations to limit the use of state symbols.
As a media professional, Satzhan said she has used her platform to speak out against the negative cultural impact of the movie by writing a post on Instagram calling for the Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry to take action. She is particularly offended by the usage of national images in the movie such as the Kazakhstan flag. Her Instagram post depicts a group of partially nude men mimicking Borat in front of a statue while holding Kazakh flags.
“Some say that the film is not about us and that many people do not understand satire. OK, so I’m among them too,” Satzhan said. “I don’t understand racist jokes.”
Unagarova believes that people of the Kazakh diaspora need to continue voicing their opinions to global media outlets by making social media posts, recording live streams and writing articles.
“We do not stand idly by. We want the global audience to hear our discontent,” she added.
Amina Karina contributed reporting and translated interviews from Russian
