Men In Borat-Style Mankinis Charged With ‘Hooliganism’ In Kazakh Capital
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By Ari Feldman November 16, 2017
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 feldman@forward.com or on Twitter @aefeldman.
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