We have some exciting updates about the 2024 Doek Literary Festival! Doek, in partnership with Bank Windhoek, will host the second edition of the Doek Literary Festival at the Goethe-Institut in Windhoek, Namibia from August 21-24.

Held every two years in Namibia, the Doek Literary Festival celebrates the works of writers, poets, and visual artists, who have contributed to Doek! Literary Magazine and seeks to showcase the best of Namibian literature alongside works from Africa and the African diaspora. The festival is an integral part of Doek’s mission to nurture the country’s reading and writing culture while providing a creative and immersive space for encountering the works of Namibian and African writers, poets, and visual artists.

The 2024 Doek Literary Festival is centered on the theme of “IndePENdence—freedom through reading and writing” and will include panel discussions, creative writing workshops, and musical performances. The fest boasts an exciting roster of award-winning authors, poets, photographers, and musicians from Namibia, Angola, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

This year’s festival writers includes Roxane Bayer (Namibia), Chiké Frankie Edozien (Nigeria), Ndawedwa Denga Hanghuwo (Namibia), Ishion Hutchinson (Jamaica), Filemon Iiyambo (Namibia), Femi Kayode (Nigeria), Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia & USA), Nelson Mlambo (Zimbabwe), Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (Zimbabwe), Troy Onyango (Kenya), Ondjaki (Angola), David Smuts (Namibia), Mukoma Wa Ngūgī (Kenya), and Zukiswa Wanner (South Africa).

This year’s performing poets are Charmaine //Gamxamus (Namibia) and Veripuami Nandee Kangumine (Namibia), while the visual artists featured include Namafu Amutse (Namibia) and Jean-Claude Tjitamunisa (Namibia). The performing musicians are Querida, Gabes, and Slow.

Rémy Ngamije, Doek’s founder and chairperson and the current festival director, remarked that the lineup for this year includes the best of the best:

Thanks to Bank Windhoek’s ongoing support, the second edition of the Doek Literary Festival has been able to draw on literary talent from as far as Jamaica and the United States to bring local readers and writers in contact with storytellers of the highest calibre. It is an opportunity for readers and writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to learn from the very best in world literature. For lovers of photography, two of Namibia’s most promising photographers will also be exhibiting their works and talking about the way they approach their craft.

The festival is co-sponsored by Bank Windhoek and the Windham Campbell Prizes, while the Goethe-Institut Namibia will provide the venue for the festival and the transport means for daily excursions. Gondwana Collection Namibia will provide the international writers with accommodations, while Turipamwe will handle the design and the Book Den will ensure all of the writers’ books are available.

Attendance to all events is free of charge. A complete program of the festival’s events will be available online soon.

Save the dates for the festival ASAP and stay tuned for more details!