Writers gather for the Doek Literary Festival

With the Doek Literary Festival in full swing at the Goethe-Institut in Windhoek until Saturday, 23 April, the focus at the inaugural event will be fiction in the novel and short form.

DOEK, alongside the United Kingdom-based University of East Anglia’s (UEA) International Chair of Creative Writing (ICCW) and Bank Windhoek present a line-up of international and local writers who will participate in readings, panel discussions and creative writing workshops.

“As a connector of positive change, we are proud to be associated with the festival,” said Bank Windhoek’s head of corporate social investment, sponsorships, and events Bronwyn Moody.

“We understand that literature reflects humanity and helps us understand each other better. We wish the participants all the best.”

Headlining the festival is award-winning Zimbabwean novelist, playwright, and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga and UEA’s inaugural ICCW.

Dangarembga will be joined by the first African woman to be awarded the Goethe medal, Zukiswa Wanner, the South African editor, publisher, and author of the award-winning novels ‘The Madams ‘, ‘Men of the South ‘, and ‘London Cape Town Joburg ‘.

Nigerian writer Femi Kayode, who won the UEA/Little Brown award for his debut novel ‘Lightseekers ‘, and Canadian writer and professor of creative writing at UEA Jean McNeil, who has written more than 14 books and been awarded numerous literary honours for her works, round up the festival’s international guest list.

Namibian flavours for the festival’s line-up will be provided by the 2022-2023 Doek Collective, a diverse cohort of emerging Namibian writers whose works have been featured in Doek! Literary Magazine or are forthcoming in other publications.

The Doek Collective is bristling with young literary talent such as Charmaine //Gamxamus, Roxane Bayer, Kay-Leigh De Sousa, and Ndawedwa Denga Hanghuwo, who won the inaugural fiction prize of the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards in 2021, Katherine Hunter, Filemon Iiyambo, Dalene Kooper, and Ange Mucyo.

Rémy Ngamije, Doek’s founder and chairperson, editor-in-chief of Doek!, and the award-winning author of ‘The Eternal Audience of One ‘ round up the exciting group of Namibian writers. – Contributed

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