KZBlog

This is hopefully my last post on Borat ever, but my attention was caught by Sean Robert’s
post on the pseudo-national anthem at the end of Borat’s film. He discusses the suspicious Armenian conspiracy (and while he dismisses it, why is President Kocharayan in Astana on the week after the opening of the film?).

However, the “national anthem” is actually a pretty well-targeted parody of Kazakhstan’s own PR campaigns, internal and external. And Kazakhstan must learn that statistics and industry do not capture the public imagination. The politicians and businessmen who are excited about economic growth already know about Kazakhstan and therefore do not need to see the PR.

Some excerpts from the lyrics of the anthem:

Kazakhstan Number one exporter of potassium; All other countrIes have inferior pottasium.
Kazakhstan home of Tinshien Swimming Pool; its length 30 meters and width 6 meters.
Kazakhstan industry best in the world; we invented toffee and the trouser belt.

Which are reminiscent of such points of pride that Kazakhstan has almost 100% of all the elements in the periodic table in its territory, that the Medeu skating rink is the largest in the world, etc…

It’s particularly poignant now that Kazakhstan is filming a television serial, to be shown on Caspionet in English and Kazakh, on Innovations of Kazakhstan (seen on Khabar last night). The film will basically advertise new ideas that began in Kazakhstan and the first episode will be on the Kazakh-British Technical University, a joint project. The director said that it was exciting because no where in the CIS do you see a former Communist Party building being given to a university or other civil society institution.

I am also constantly amused by an advertisement on Khabar which shows a young man apparently preparing his valedictorian speech and he stays up all night not coming up with any ideas. While he is standing on the stage at graduation, flustered, a fellow graduate tells him that Education is the future. The ad ends by telling us that education is one of the key instruments for economic competiveness of the country. “Get educated so your country can become the 50 most competitive countries”? Not a compelling argument.

The plan that economic reform comes first and then social and political reforms is questionable because once you fill your government with economists and financists and people who love balance sheets, it’s very hard to get them to even understand social problems. Outside the context of economics. As Kazakhstan begins more social reforms, as well as Social Business Corporations one hopes they will be able to muster the ability to get beyond macroeconomics. After all, the latest WEF Competitveness report, giving Kazakhstan an overall rating of 56, did rate the macroeconomy as 10th in the world. 10th. S0 paying attention to other areas, such as basic education and social services, may actually boost their economy as well.

On another note, is Kazakhstan really the number one exporter of pottasium? I can’t dismiss it out of hand, and that is a good sign of effective parody.

EDIT: The words are here. The mp3 download on that page is only the first 30 seconds–not worth downloading.