A Recipe for the Perfect Kyrgyz Advert: Horses, Mountain Scenery and a Beautiful Woman · Global Voices
Akhal-Tech Collective

Screenshot from full-length advert uploaded on Shoro's Youtube channel.
The Maksym Shoro beverage produced by ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan's leading soft drinks producer Shoro is not everybody's cup of tea, but those that love the salty fermented drink truly love it.
After more than two decades of success in the local market — the drink is almost as old as the Central Asian country itself — it can now be bought in neighbouring Kazakhstan and Russia, where over a million Kyrgyz migrants live and work.
But Shoro has retained the nomadic identity associated with its homeland, as the company's latest advert shows. Below is the advert in full as well as a translation of the message the company posted on Facebook to mark its arrival:
Однажды рано утром смелый джигит на своем верном коне поскакал на соседнее джайлоо. Слышал он, что живет здесь прекрасная девушка, которая пленила сердца многих баатыров.
Есть у кыргызов старинная игра – кыз куумай. Если джигит догонит девушку, то сможет поцеловать ее. Если нет – девушка ударит его камчой. А всадник опозорится перед народом.
Но если джигит понравится девушке, она может сама незаметно поддаться ему. Ведь не зря твердили наши предки: не проси быстрого коня, а проси доброго пути.
“Максым Шоро” – напиток кочевников.
One day early in the morning a brave Kyrgyz guy rode out on his trusty steed to the neighbouring meadow. He heard that a beautiful woman who had won the hearts of many champions had lived there.
In Kyrgyzstan, there is an ancient game – Kyz Kuumai. If the guy can catch the girl, then he will kiss her. If not, the girl will strike him with a whip, and the rider will lose face before the people.
But, if the guy pleases the girl, she can quietly give in to him [the girl in the advert slows down and asks the rider: “Guy, is this the first time you have ridden a horse?”]. After all, as our ancestors always said, do not ask for a quick horse, ask for a safe journey.
Maksym Shoro — the drink of nomads.