Men In Borat-Style Mankinis Charged With ‘Hooliganism’ In Kazakh Capital
Six scantily clad Czech tourists wearing “Borat!”-inspired bathing suits were detained by authorities in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the Guardian reported. The men were attempting to take a picture in front of the city’s large “I Love Astana” sculpture while wearing black afro wigs and neon green mankinis.
The men were charged with “minor hooliganism,” according to a Kazakh-language news outlet. Each was fined 22,500 tenge, or about $67.
The mankinis were largely popularized by Sacha Baron Cohen in his movie “Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” In the movie, the character Borat wears the mankini to the “beach” in his small village, which appears to be a patch of sand near an industrial canal.
The Kazakh government originally banned sales of the controversial movie. However, Kazakh government ministers have since credited the movie with boosting tourism to the former Soviet bloc country.
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30