Michel Mpambara
Comedian, speaker & actor
Originally from Rwanda, Michel Mpambara is a comedian born in Burundi. He immigrated to Quebec with his family in 1990.
He has continued to amaze audiences with his vivid storytelling — from his perspective as an African navigating North American life, to urban scenes from his arrival in Quebec, and mishaps inspired by the worst of American soap operas. Fun fact: according to him, World Vision is actually an African soap opera, and he was one of its stars!
His stage persona also reflects on integration into Quebec society and his deep love for the province. But he also jokingly calls himself a racist — tired of seeing “white” everywhere… really, there’s just too much white in Quebec! (Of course, by “white” he means… snow). He’s been compared to legendary Quebec comic Yvon Deschamps and was a breakout performer at the Just for Laughs Festival in 1996.
In 2000, he debuted his first one-man show Y’a trop de Blancs au Québec ("There Are Too Many White People in Quebec"), which was a huge success and won a Félix award for Best Comedy Show of the Year. He was also nominated for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the ADISQ Awards alongside Martin Matte, and at the 2002 Gala des Oliviers in two categories: Best Writers (co-written with François Avard) and Best Monologue (L’immigrant de Jonquière).
In 2002, he hosted La fête africaine at the closing of the Montréal FrancoFolies — a massive outdoor show with African artists performing for over 100,000 people. In 2004, he played the role of Gégé alongside Maka Kotto in Dany Laferrière’s film How to Conquer America in One Night.
After struggling with mental health issues, he stopped performing live shows in 2005, although he continued to appear in films. In 2007, he starred in Faro, la reine des eaux (a Canada-Mali co-production), and in 2009, had a supporting role in Pour toujours, les Canadiens.
In 2011, as part of Bell Let's Talk Day, he became a spokesperson alongside Stefie Shock and Clara Hughes to support organizations helping people living with mental health challenges. In 2015, he appeared on Radio-Canada’s Les Pêcheurs as a guest comedian reflecting on his bipolar disorder, and began preparing a stage comeback that was highly anticipated.
In 2016, Michel Mpambara performed a new monologue referencing bipolar disorder at the Galas Comediha in Quebec, which was broadcast on Radio-Canada. He also gives talks across Quebec in schools, businesses, and organizations to raise awareness about mental health.
In 2018, he made a successful return to the stage at the Just for Laughs Festival.
-Translated and adapted from Michel Mpambara’s official biography, available at:
