Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian, revisits AA Gill's scurrilous commentary on Albania in his latest article on the Guardian website. The article, How Funny Foreigners Are, is Preston's response to the newly released film featuring Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh journalist. I only recently discovered that Borat began life as Kristo - an Albanian.
I was watching Top Channel last night, first the news, then Fiks Fare. According to them Tirana's citizens now have a choice not only between Rama and Olldashi, but also between Rama and Rama. A minor right-wing faction, Parti 'Balli Kombetar' , submitted papers to the election authorities registering their candidate, Akile Rama. The people on Fiks Fare got hold of the papers and sent a reporter and camera team to the address listed for Mr A Rama. After much ringing of the bell the gate was reluctantly opened by a middle-aged woman who refused to speak to the reporter and tried to close the gate on her. Back in the studio Saimiri and Doctori - the two presenters of Fiks Fare - revealed that Mr Akile Rama was 73 years old, in hospital, and did not know he was now a candidate for mayor. They also compared two documents - the papers submitted on his behalf, and a genuine document he had signed. The signatures were not even remotely similar. There was an interview with the lea...
Comments
I have a hard time understanding the hype with Borat. But in reality the whole Western society is laughing at a reflection of their own values, and merely a fictional Eastern European retard...
I think it is interesting that the Borat character is more popular in the US and that the film locates him in the US.