WASTREL – CAST OUT IN KISUMU
Erik Dettle | Kenia, USA 2013 | 17 Min. | OmeU
Kisumu is the principle city of western Kenya and despite its thriving sugar and shipping industries it is a hot bed of poverty, corruption and tribal conflict. It is also home to some of the largest populations of street youth in Kenya. After losing both of his parents at the age of eight, Mark Martin was sent to live with his Aunt in a rural community outside of Kisumu. Unable to deal with the pressure of living in his Aunt’s already struggling home, Mark ran away to a life on the streets of Kisumu. Twenty years later he is still surviving on the streets but has started seeking redemption from the community that labeled him an outcast.
Mark has granted filmmaker Erik Dettle unprecedented access to his daily life and guides us through Kenya’s clandestine street life by way of glaring confessions, testimonials and rare imagery. The film takes us inside the municipal landfill, where Mark spent two years scavenging for survival with over 100 other street youths and will follow Mark as he travels back to his rural homeland for the very first time in twenty years. ‘Wastrel: Cast Out in Kisumu’ captures the past, present and future of Mark’s journey toward redemption.
