Le Ministre des Poubelles (The Minister of Garbage)
Dir. Quentin Noirfalisse
Documentary, 2017, 75 min.
Lingala & French, w/ English subtitles

Some see him as a madman, others as a genius. Sharp-eyed, nimble-fingered, polio-stricken Emmanuel Botalatala is Kinshasa’s “Minister of Garbage”. At 64, Botalatala is nearly penniless, but he is still driven to create politically conscious artwork crafted entirely from the trash spewed forth by Kinshasa’s 10 million residents. Now conscious of his own mortality, he dreams of creating a cultural center to house his work. As the film unfolds, his unique creative vision becomes proxy for the vital role of art in a nation’s search for identity.

Congo in Harlem is a showcase of films, exhibits, panel discussions and special events focused on the history, politics, and culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.