Comedian Q spreads wings

Shadreck Mufandaedza Arts Correspondent
The name Qobizitha Dube is popular among comedy followers in Zimbabwe and abroad.

Q is his stage name and he has earned respect because of his jokes that are rib-crackers. He was formerly known as Q The Boss. The Harare-based comedian said it all started when he was only six years after getting inspiration from his mother Busi Dube who worked for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

“I was inspired by my mother who was working at ZBC where she used to read the main news on television, present weather reports and was also into acting. She acted in several films and I loved it,” he said.

Like any other parent’s dream to have a child land a top job, his father wanted him to be a pilot.

“My father then would encourage me to work hard at school to be a pilot but it all fell on deaf ears,” he jokingly said.

Art became his favourite discipline. Little did he know that he would be one of the popular comedians to emerge from this country.

For him serious business started when he appeared as DJ in a local soap “Small House Saga” and as Sean in “Studio 263”.

He was 18 years then and his appearance on the television productions inspired him to look further in the arts industry. His art has taken him to other countries.

“I’ve performed on various stages in SA and US doing standup comedy and Swaziland where l also played a role in a production titled ‘Voekchez’.”

The artist feels he still has other avenues to explore in the arts industry and believes the sky is the limit for his talent. He has now ventured into literature.

His vast experience in comedy and acting has inspired him to pen two books that will be launched sometime this year.

“Unlike music, comedy is not a crowd-puller, it is difficult to create jokes for same people and do shows as regular as musicians do. That is why l have ventured into book writing,” he said.

The first book is on relationships and the other on black people.

Dube says: “The book on relationships focuses on the openness in affairs between people and the other is a motivational book aims at empowering black race and questioning why other races seem to be more advanced than black people.

“My dream is to be a flourishing global artist on stage and literature, to have video clips on mentorship that are inspirational and, more importantly, to show the world that Zimbabwe has many talented artists.”