NOTE: Attendance at all events is free of charge. Seating is limited in all venues; punctual arrival is necessary to avoid disappointment. Writers’ books are currently available at the Book Den and will also be available for purchase at the festival—cash and swipe facilities will be available. There will be ample opportunities for festival attendants to have their books signed at the end of each conversation.
THE STILLNESS
A week-long exhibition about silence, solitude, and the gifts afforded by space and time featuring work from Katherine Hunter and Amine Serhane.
Time: all day • Venue: Goethe-Institut’s Auditorium • Admission: free • no ticket necessary
ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOP, PART I: THE TONGUE OF THE HAND
الخط لسان اليد، وبهجة الضمير، وسفير العقول، وسلاح الفكر
“Calligraphy is the tongue of the hand, the joy of the conscience, the ambassador of minds, and the weapon of thought.”
Amine Serhane leads the first of three workshops focusing on the history, tools, and changing expressions of Arabic calligraphy.
Time: 14h30—16h00 • Venue: Bellhaus Atelier & Galerie • Admission: free • reservation is necessary • art supplies will be provided • no prior calligraphic skill required • Capacity: 25 • Booking form: link
ANALOGUE ACOUSTICS, PART I: THEY ARE MEETING AGAIN AT HOME
Inspired by John Muafangejo’s “They Are Meeting Again At Home” print, DJ Musketeer spins sounds of welcome for those who call reading, writing, and storytelling home.
Time: 17h00 • Venue: Goethe-Institut’s entrance foyer • Admission: free • no ticket necessary
OPENING: WE DO NOT WAIT TO BE GIVEN FLOWERS, WE PLANT OUR OWN GARDEN
The official opening of the 2026 Doek Literary Festival led by The Honourable Justice David Smuts, the Patron of the Doek Arts Trust, Bronwyn Moody, the Head of Strategic Partnerships and CSR at Bank Windhoek, M’Kariko Amagulu, the Director of the Arts in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture, Dennis Schroeder, the Director of the Goethe-Institut, and the vote of thanks given by Rémy Ngamije, the festival director.
Time: 18h00 • Venue: Goethe-Institut’s auditorium • Admission: free • no ticket necessary
THE PAST IS NEVER WHERE ONE LEAVES IT
Ayesha Harruna Attah, Justin Boening, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, and Ondjaki discuss the ways in which time and human action (and inaction) distort history, memory, and our ability to think of and plan for the future with Roxane Bayer.
Time: 19h00 • Venue: Goethe-Institut’s auditorium • Admission: free • no ticket necessary
THE PRESENT IS WHATEVER YOU MAKE IT
Filemon Iiyambo discusses the ways in which the tumultuous present sets the scene for storytelling and the soon-to-be past (that is never where one leaves it) with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Pumla Dineo Gqola, Bongani Kona, and Laura Nkula-Wenz.
Time: 20h00 • Venue: Goethe-Institut’s auditorium • Admission: free • no ticket necessary
POETRY READINGS, PART I: THE VOICE AND ITS QUICKENING PULSE
Hugh Ellis-Mwiya, Vekondjisa Nosipho Katusuva, Nathalie Handal, Johannes Shikongo, and Devon Walker-Figueroa deliver poetry readings full of voice and heart that quicken the pulse.
Time: 21h00 • Venue: Goethe-Institut’s auditorium • Admission: free • no ticket necessary
