The Internet never lies!
March 23, 2012 5:49 PM   Subscribe

Maria Dmitrienko, a member of the Kazakh national shooting team, won a competition in Kuwait. At the medal ceremony, the organizers played the fake Kazakh national anthem from the movie "Borat", which praises Kazakhstan for its potassium exports and claims that it has the cleanest prostitutes in the region.

Seems the organizers did an Internet search and found and downloaded the wrong national anthem. Reportedly they screwed up the Serbian national anthem, too.
posted by Chocolate Pickle (38 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
According to the article the movie was banned in Kuwait. That's what you get for banning stuff.
posted by snofoam at 5:54 PM on March 23, 2012 [8 favorites]


Sacha Cohen must have the wickedest grin right now.
posted by hanoixan at 5:57 PM on March 23, 2012 [9 favorites]


The song was produced by UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for the film, which shows Kazakhs as backward and bigoted.

Or as high praise from a comic genius. The joke's not on them actually. Neither there, nor here. I bet the Kazakhs will get that, if not the BBC.
posted by three blind mice at 5:58 PM on March 23, 2012


Yes, they got that when they banned the film.
posted by found missing at 6:02 PM on March 23, 2012 [4 favorites]


three blind mice: How much would you bet exactly?
posted by Grimgrin at 6:05 PM on March 23, 2012


Omg.
posted by zarq at 6:09 PM on March 23, 2012


Oooooohh. Awkward.
posted by louche mustachio at 6:17 PM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


audio, lyrics
posted by XMLicious at 6:18 PM on March 23, 2012


I believe a declaration of war is in order.
posted by philip-random at 6:36 PM on March 23, 2012 [4 favorites]


I am laughing my dupa off!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 6:38 PM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


Great success!
posted by orme at 6:44 PM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


That story led me to another wonderful gaffe: My Penis Is A Mountain
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:00 PM on March 23, 2012 [5 favorites]


Is nice!
posted by LarryC at 7:15 PM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


I watched the video earlier and couldn't finish it; Mrs. Dmitrienko gamely holding her hand over her heart while Borat sang about how her country had the best prostitutes was too awkward. From wikipedia, it looks like this is the first time a Kazakh woman has won gold, too.
posted by postcommunism at 7:24 PM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


Hopefully the Serbian mixup didn't involve any elements from 'A Serbian Film'. Now THAT would be awkward.
posted by FatherDagon at 7:35 PM on March 23, 2012 [5 favorites]


I have to admit, while I feel really, really horrible for this athlete and the Kazakh people in general, this is the funniest international incident EVER.
posted by Saxon Kane at 7:51 PM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


population: tire
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:53 PM on March 23, 2012 [7 favorites]


Well, she certainly won't forget winning a gold medal now.
posted by Malor at 8:09 PM on March 23, 2012


What do you do in that situation, exactly?

I'm imagining what it would be like to be standing on some podium, some sort of medal around my neck, and listening to the theme from Team America, World Police on the PA.

Awkward.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:51 PM on March 23, 2012 [10 favorites]


Their first clue should have been that their alleged Kazakh anthem was in English.
posted by gjc at 9:04 PM on March 23, 2012


I'm imagining what it would be like to be standing on some podium, some sort of medal around my neck, and listening to the theme from Team America, World Police on the PA.

I think a double fist pump would be in order.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:05 PM on March 23, 2012 [8 favorites]


So no hand party, then?
posted by dr_dank at 9:06 PM on March 23, 2012


Forget the English, what should have tipped them off was the bogus "best exporter of potassium" lyric.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:23 PM on March 23, 2012


They knew she had just won a shooting competition, right?
posted by ceribus peribus at 9:32 PM on March 23, 2012 [10 favorites]


This reminds me of the Vancouver Olympics mascots foul-up from a couple of years ago.

But that one didn't result in a full-scale diplomatic incident. I wonder what is going to happen to the poor Kuwaiti dweeb who is responsible for this?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:46 PM on March 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


Kazakhstan home of Tinshein swimming pool.
It's length thirty meter and width six meter.
Filtration system a marvel to behold.
It remove 80 percent of human solid waste.

Always look up unfamiliar foreign national anthems on youtube before you play them.

The other anthem gaffes also sounds really awkward.
posted by Winnemac at 9:47 PM on March 23, 2012


I immediately remembered this, so help me.
posted by pjern at 10:25 PM on March 23, 2012 [2 favorites]


My heart goes out to this woman. I can understand entirely how sad and humiliating this must have been for her.

On the other hand, I'm still actually laughing about the lyrics. How did I ever miss this movie when it was released?
posted by newdaddy at 10:26 PM on March 23, 2012


Their first clue should have been that their alleged Kazakh anthem was in English.

Hmmm... United forever in friendship and labor our might republics will ever endure...
posted by Jahaza at 11:41 PM on March 23, 2012


I'm imagining what it would be like to be standing on some podium, some sort of medal around my neck, and listening to the theme from Team America, World Police on the PA.

No, see. Here's the difference. Team America was written by Americans for Americans to self-deprecate Americans. Sasha Baron Cohen is some douchebag British guy in America who portrayed the Kazakhs as some backward, Nazi-esque people, so that he could make some jokes about other douchebags, and also people who weren't douchebags.

The whole Borat schtick is like some white guy who dresses up in blackface to make fun of other white people. It's all fun and games until Sanford & Son is played as someone's national anthem.

I try not to be one of Those Guys, but ugh, Borat just rubs me the wrong way.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:49 PM on March 23, 2012 [20 favorites]


Sanford and Son is my new national anthem.
posted by telstar at 11:55 PM on March 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


This reminds me of when the Czech prime minister visited Pakistan, and some zealous bureaucrat came up with this.
posted by tavegyl at 2:42 AM on March 24, 2012


Borat just rubs me the wrong way.

I wonder how much experience living in Central Asia and Eastern European cultures correlates to liking the schtick. It is completely factually wrong and yet uncanny in its accuracy, very well done. The 30m by 6m swimming pool is exactly the sort of thing that would find its way onto tourist brochures. The anti Semitic stuff is a better fit for Eastern Europe* than Central Asia, but otherwise spot on.

*The Jews of Bukhara and Samarkand are smart with money but are not as sneaky as the Uzbeks, and they do not have horns.

posted by Meatbomb at 3:21 AM on March 24, 2012 [3 favorites]


And on further reflection, it wouldn't be Sanford & Son. It would be some made up song with made up stereotypes about black people.
posted by dirigibleman at 4:22 AM on March 24, 2012 [1 favorite]


FatherDagon: "Hopefully the Serbian mixup didn't involve any elements from 'A Serbian Film'. Now THAT would be awkward."

After doing a shearch for that movie all I can say is, you do live up to your name don't you?
posted by Splunge at 5:32 AM on March 24, 2012


Shearch being a Serbian search.
posted by Splunge at 5:33 AM on March 24, 2012


My heart goes out to this woman. I can understand entirely how sad and humiliating this must have been for her.

Agreed. Her face is a spectrum of restrained emotions the entire time.
posted by gjc at 7:04 AM on March 24, 2012


Have you noticed the links in the video's description to "The Truth about Kazakhstan's Kleptocratic Dictatorship" ? Fascinating. They link to what appears to be footage of clash last December between police and a long-standing oil worker strike in Zhanaozen which led to 10 deaths.

I think someone's trying to use this video to raise awareness within Kazakhstan about what happened in Zhanaozen.

Here are the links. I cannot verify their authenticity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCK6rQt7WbU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCb0S3kPPsA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y09RnHo-lBo
posted by honest knave at 7:48 AM on March 24, 2012


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