It’s True – Kazakhstan Tourism Adopts The Borat ‘Very Nice’ Catchphrase
Very nice! *Double thumbs up*
The ties between Borat character and the glorious nation of Kazakhstan have not been very cordial in the past. The country opposed the idea of Sacha Baron Cohen’s depiction of the country, and its people since Borat first appeared in Da Ali G Show. Things did not get better when the character did a feature-length review in 2006. But now, things seem to be changing as Kazakhstan tourism has adopted a part of the Borat’s catchphrase ‘Very Nice’ as its official slogan.
The adoption of the Borat catchphrase as a slogan was made public when Kazakh Tourism released a series of 12-second ads that show visitors experience the food, landscapes, architecture, and culture of the country. It has Borat’s favourite ‘Very Nice’ catchphrase. The caption of the YouTube video reads “How can you describe a place this surprising in just two words? As a wise man once said, ‘Very nice!'”
Talking about this new development, the Deputy Chairman of Kazakh Tourism, Kairat Sadvakassov, said “Kazakhstan’s nature is very nice. Its food is very nice. And its people, despite Borat’s jokes to the contrary, are some 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 also said that he had not seen the film Borat 2 yet and he was not concerned about it either. He stated “In Covid times, when tourism spending is on hold, it was good to see the country mentioned in the media. Not in the nicest way, but it’s good to be out there. We would love to work with Cohen, or maybe even have him film here.”
‘Very Nice!’ Borat catchphrase used in new Kazakh Tourism video clips:
Sacha Baron Cohen seemed pleased with the adoption of the catchphrase of Borat’s character. He stated via email: “This is a comedy, and the Kazakhstan in the film has nothing to do with the real country. I chose Kazakhstan because it was a place that almost nobody in the US knew anything about, which allowed us to create a wild, comedic, fake world. The real Kazakhstan is a beautiful country with a modern, proud society – the opposite of Borat’s version.”
Jagshemash. If you see only one moviefilm this year, please see the only one that got made – mine.
Great success! Please, you look. Chenquieh. pic.twitter.com/ygtv4RT4GG— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) October 1, 2020
