Documentary

The minister of garbage

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Quentin Noirfalisse

Some see him as a madman, others as a genius. Sharp-eyed, nimble-fingered, poliocrippledEmmanuel Botalatala is Kinshasa’s Minister of Garbage. The position ishowever unofficial; it is merely a stage name. As the Congo heads towards critical anduncertain elections, the Minister has a «destiny». In the capital city’s working-classdistricts, he creates three-dimensional artworks with the waste vomited day after dayby Kinshasa. Through those, he puts forth a reflection on his country’s and Africa’sevolution. At 64 years of age, he finds himself at a turning point. Entering the lastportion of his life completely penniless, he dreams of throwing a glorious feat at theface of frantic “Kin”: creating a cultural centre to host his rain-corroded work. The filmaddresses the role the artist and his vision can play in a country searching for itself.

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