Hosted in Namibia’s capital city every two years, 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, the African diaspora, and other international literary traditions.
Described as “a gathering of readers, writers, and lovers of storytellers”, the Doek Literary Festival strives to provide an opportunity for passionate readers and aspiring, emerging, and established writers, poets, visual artists, and musicians to encounter and learn from each other with literature forming the connective tissue between the various disciplines. The inclusion of visual art exhibitions, poetry and musical performances, and activities such as creative writing workshops creates an interactive and engaging festival experience that showcases the breadth and depth of storytelling. For visiting literary artists, the Doek Literary Festival offers glimpses into Windhoek’s social, economic, political, and cultural life—in this way, the festival is a portal of encounter that places the curious traveller close to the pulse of the city’s rhythms.
Each year, the festival is anchored by a theme or focus which provides a guide for the festival’s curation, programming, aesthetic design, and other experiential components. Rather than being prescriptive, the theme lends itself to multiple interpretations which infuse the festival with diverse points of engagement.
The Doek Literary Festival is an integral part of Doek’s mission to nurture and grow the country’s reading and writing culture while providing a creative and immersive space for engaging with the works of Namibian, African, and international literary artists.
In 2022, Doek partnered with the University of East Anglia’s International Chair of Creative Writing to plan, organise, and host the inaugural edition of the festival which focused on fiction writing in the novel and short form. With a roster of four experienced and award-winninginternational authors and seven emerging Namibian writers who had been published in Doek!, this first iteration of the festival was conventionally planned and its narrow scope provided Doek with its first attempt at hosting an event of such a stature.
In partnership with Bank Windhoek, and co-sponsored by the Windham Campbell Prizes, the 2024 Doek Literary Festival was a coming-of-age and significantly expanded gathering of local and international authors in Namibia’s capital city. Nine international authors, eight local writers, the inclusion of a photography exhibition, and the incorporation of an evening of poetry readings hinted at heightened dreams and grander ambitions.
The 2026 Doek Literary Festival is the culmination of all of the preceding learnings, experiments, and adventures. Its lineup features exciting award-winning authors and writers from local and international literature, bold visual artists, poets producing resonant poetry, and vinyl selectors and musicians who spin and play music that moves the mind, body, and soul. For the first time, a practical calligraphy component will allow participants to immerse themselves in one of the oldest forms of writing while a culinary concept offers tantalising flavours and textures of home.
