OAFF 18: Le Ministre des Poubelles

Directed by: Quentin Noirfalise / Documentary / 1h 15min

Some see him as a madman, others as a genius. Sharp-eyed, nimble-fingered, polio-crippled Emmanuel Botalatala is Kinshasa’s Minister of Garbage. The position is however unofficial; it is merely a stage name. As the Congo heads towards critical and uncertain elections, the Minister has a destiny.

In the capital city’s working-class districts, he creates three-dimensional artworks with the waste vomited day after day by Kinshasa. Through those, he puts forth a reflection on his country’s and Africa’s evolution. At 64 years of age, he finds himself at a turning point. Entering the last portion of his life completely penniless, he dreams of creating a cultural centre to host his rain-corroded work, train tomorrow’s Ministers of Garbage and leave a trace of his existence behind.

Richi, his multitask apprentice; Eric, an artist in the making and baker in the evening; Romain, his head of cabinet; and Marguerite, his second wife, will help him achieve his destiny in a city where everyday life is about getting by and surviving. Through the Minister’s work method and unique and stubborn route, the film addresses the role the artist and his vision can play in a country searching for itself.