He’s racist, rude and his stories of his homeland are twisted, but Borat still may be Kazakhstan’s best representative.
Yesterday, students at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights sat through a guest lecture on the nation by Barlybai Sadykov, deputy permanent representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations – and found it anything but entertaining.
Half the class dozed off, some played games on their laptops, and many sent text messages during the hour-long lecture by Sadykov, in which he disputed Borat’s tall tales about the country.
“Kazakhstan is becoming increasing important in the world,” Sadykov told the class. “Its economy is flourishing, and we have a large abundance of natural resources – in fact, we make 1.5 million barrels of oil a day.”
In the bizarrely bigoted view of the fictional Borat, Kazakhstan is a “glorious country” that has “a problem with economic, social and Jew.”
“Kazakhstan is the greatest country in the world . . . Kazakhstan is No. 1 exporter of potassium. Other Central Asian countries have inferior potassium. All other countries is run by the gays,” he has said.
But Borat’s tales of problems with other countries and anti-Semitism are completely wrong, Sadykov implored.
“We have very good relations with other countries, especially Israel,” Sadykov said.
On the state of the economy in Kazakhstan, Borat claims the entire country is so poor, his fictional neighbor cannot afford steps or a clock radio and can barely afford glass for his windows.
“My neighbor, Nushuktan Tulyiagby, he is pain in my a- – holes. I get a window from a glass, he must get a window from a glass. I get a step, he must get a step. I get a clock radio, he cannot afford,” said Borat.
But Sadykov calls Borat’s story “ridiculous” and said the country is thriving economically.
“Kazakhstan is not only a developing country, we are well equipped technologically and are an advanced society. Our people are highly educated. We have modern cities that are economic centers. We have very modern buildings.”
Although he has no problem with the character of Borat – played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen – Sadykov said there are no similarities between Borat’s Kazakhstan and the real deal.
“He’s a comedian. There’s nothing real he says about Kazakhstan. There are no parallels,” Sadykov said.
“He’s really making fun of the people who think such things can happen in Kazakhstan, so nothing is wrong with it. I think he is making art, and anyone who believes this is the way it is isn’t correct.”