Ayesha Harruna Attah, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer, and award-winning author of Harmattan Rain, Saturday’s Shadows, The Hundred Wells Of Salaga, The Deep Blue Between, and Zainab Takes New York said:
“What an honor to be part of this year’s Doek Literary Festival. The theme ‘History Is Handmade’ was timely and I had not realised how much I needed to be a space where we were all on the same wavelength, especially when it comes to how, as creatives, we handle the ‘rise of the machines.’
I left every single conversation inspired to write. And read. The moderators asked thoughtful questions and the guests blew my mind with their responses. I do not know how Rémy Ngamije and the other organisers selected the festival guests, but everyone was incredibly smart and friendly. I came back home with a renewed sense of hope. We are the ones that can make everything all right.
One of the highlights was taking the Arabic calligraphy classes. Amine Serhane is a wonderful storyteller and teacher. And the painting he produced from our attempts at calligraphy made my jaw drop.
Every single detail of the festival had to be hand-stitched, home-cooked, hand-carved, and I say, it paid off. Cara Mia Dunaiski’s lunch and dinner bowls made me feel like everyday was Christmas day. That goody bag with handmade gifts was just delightful.
Bravo!”
***
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer, and award-winning author of The Theory Of Flight, The History Of Man, The Quality Of Mercy, and The Creation of Half-Broken People said:
“What a truly transformative experience!
We continue to witness something undeniably phenomenal take shape in Namibia thanks to the visionary fortitude of Rémy Ngamije, the creative brilliance of Turipamwe, the steadfast patronage of The Honourable Justice David Smuts, the incredible devotion of the Dunaiski family, and the dedicated support of the Doek Literary Festival partners: Bank Windhoek, The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth,Sports, Arts, and Culture, the Windham-Campbell Prizes, Goethe-Institut Namibia, the Caine Prize For African Writing, and the European Union Delegation to Namibia. It really does take a village.
The entire festival was impressive and experiencing its many moving parts—the conversations, the poetry readings, vinyl selection sessions, the artwork, and the workshops—was a true revelation, especially when you realised that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was connected to the festival’s theme: ‘History Is Handmade.’
So many beautiful discussions about the need to bring our hands together to both excavate the past and build the future were had. So many beautiful tapestries stitched by hands working together were displayed, seen, and interacted with. So many beautiful hand-drawn symbols were arranged together to create a calligraphy work of art. History was indeed made.
The entire festival was a call to action for creative practitioners and thinkers to continue to use their hands, hearts, and minds to produce works that not only positively shape our communities, countries, and continents, but also positively shape the dynamic, yet oppressive, violent, and anti-human historical moment we are currently living in.
What happened at the 2026 Doek Literary Festival was so powerful that the clouds had to gather and the rains fall—like a gift from happy gods.
(The above was written without the use of AI).”
***
Ondjaki, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer, poet, publisher, filmmaker, and award-winning author of Transparent City said:
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Doek Literary Festival, a truly remarkable and inspiring experience.
This festival is absolutely well-organised and highly nuanced in its programming, attending to every single detail with rare sensitivity. It is commendable how the event always involves members of the local community, genuinely fostering cultural inclusion.
The festival goes far beyond words, seeking to reveal talents not only in the literary field but also showcasing other potentialities of Namibia’s contemporary artistic landscape. A very special praise is due to the organisation, the extraordinary human warmth that welcomes us, and the unique combination of casual warmth and professionalism of the team.
I also offer my most personal and poetic thanks to this singular gathering that, every two years, weaves silence and affection together to bring together, in a simple and focused way, some of the leading voices of African literature, turning Windhoek into the capital of our shared dreams.
All this forward-looking energy is reflected in the vision of its leadership. It is also important to note that the leader of this initiative, Rémy Ngamije, does not seek to stay in his position forever, demonstrating a generous sense of detachment. His focus lies in preparing a strong and autonomous team so that the festival may enjoy a long and creative life, ensuring this literary bonfire continues to enlighten future generations.”
In Portuguese:
“Gostaria de expressar o meu mais profundo agradecimento pela participação no Doek Literary Festival 2026 uma experiência verdadeiramente marcante e inspiradora.
Este é um festival absolutamente bem organizado e muito delicado na sua programação cuidando de cada detalhe com uma sensibilidade rara. É de louvar a forma como o evento sempre envolve membros da comunidade local impulsionando de forma genuína a inclusão cultural.
O festival vai muito além das palavras buscando revelar talentos não apenas na área literária mas mostrando outras potencialidades do panorama artístico contemporâneo da Namíbia. Um elogio muito especial é devido à organização à extraordinária moldura humana que nos recebe e à rara combinação de descontração e profissionalismo da equipa.
Deixo também o meu agradecimento mais íntimo e comovido a este encontro singular que de dois em dois anos costura silêncios e afetos para reunir de forma simples e focada algumas das principais vozes da literatura africana transformando Windhoek na capital dos nossos sonhos.
Toda esta energia de futuro reflete-se na visão de quem lidera. É de salientar também que o mentor desta iniciativa Rémy Ngamije não busca ficar para sempre no lugar demonstrando um desprendimento generoso. O seu foco reside em ir preparando uma equipa forte e autónoma para que o festival tenha uma longa e criativa vida garantindo que esta fogueira literária continue a iluminar as próximas gerações.”
***
Femi Kayode, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer, and an award-winning author of the Philip Taiwo novels Lightseekers and Gaslight said:
“I have called Windhoek home for over two decades. Doek showed me another side of a city I thought I knew. For one week in September, writers, artists, poets, musicians and more from across the continent and its diaspora arrived like a caravan bearing news from elsewhere, and Windhoek gathered around them. The new Goethe-Institut gave it all a fitting home: a building made for ideas, filled from morning to night with people hungry for them.
What struck me most was how far the festival’s horizons have expanded since it began six years ago. The audiences were larger, and the writers on the programme crossed borders and genres with ease. As a crime novelist, I spend much of my working life at genre festivals, and online they can become echo chambers where we mostly talk to each other. At Doek, I found myself in real conversation with poets, essayists, filmmakers, and artists working across media and ideas. These are people I admire and, in more ways than one, aspire to emulate. I left each day of the festival enriched and, yes, feeling blessed to be part of this evolving space, created from nothing and fast becoming a notable institution for literary conversations on the African continent.
This year’s theme, History Is Handmade, ran through everything the festival touched. Every creative asset was crafted by hand and a joy to behold. It proved that the festival’s multidisciplinary spirit extends well beyond the stage. The gifts now sit on my writing desk: a leather-bound journal, a copper pen stand, a hand-painted keepsake, and a game of Oware, each crafted by artists united by a passion for craft and a spirit of excellence. Each is made with skill and care, and each reminds me daily that stories are crafted in many forms.
This community’s generosity was tangible. Warmth ran through every interaction, and every conversation returned to a shared curiosity about what binds us. Because the festival is intimate, I had rewarding one-to-one conversations with readers, booksellers, book lovers, funding partners and fellow artists, the kind of encounters larger festivals rarely allow.
What Rémy Ngamije and his team have built is remarkable for its ambition and even more for its care. They achieve it despite real constraints, and every detail shows people who believe stories matter and that Namibia belongs at the centre of telling them. Anyone who values a confident, curious, reading Namibia should want this festival to grow. Unfortunately, the week had to end. As I said ‘see you later’ to new friends and old comrades in the arts, I felt proud of my adopted city and grateful to have been part of Doek.
I can hardly wait for the 2028 edition and look forward to seeing you there!”
***
Frankie Murrey, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer, coordinator of the Open Book Festival, and author of Everyone Dies and A Collection of Gaps said:
“The 2026 Doek Literary Festival was such a highlight to be part of. As a festival organiser myself, I know how much work it takes to curate events, and to manage logistics so that everything runs smoothly. Rémy Ngamije and his superb team ensured that we were so well cared for, and the programme allowed for that magical blend of time to have informal but deep conversations with other writers, as well as festival conversations exploring so much that I am still sifting through in my own head. It was an experience that will live on in me, and I certainly hope to return to future editions.”
***
Roxane Bayer, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer and 2023 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Award Fiction winner said:
“The Doek Literary Festival is truly one of the best offerings of Namibian literature. The 2026 festival was a place for discussion and a source of inspiration to more than writers.
Every edition of the festival grows exponentially from previous editions. One can only remain hopeful about all the places it might go in the future and its ability to establish Windhoek as one of the most literary cities on the continent. The potential is there, and the Doek Literary Festival continues to invite all Namibians to participate in bringing this reality about.
The festival managed to bring together readers, writers, and lovers of literature, along with visual artists and musicians. It attracted those wanting to learn more about something they might not know much about.
This year’s festival, with its theme of ‘History Is Handmade’, took blood, sweat, and tears—quite literally, I think. This was evident from the handmade tapestries, the gifts for the festival guests, the conversations, and the workshops.
A special shout-out must go to Rémy Ngamije and Ange Mucyo for the handmade Oware boards. They were evidence of the love and care that went into all details of the festival, no matter how small.
The festival was an opportunity to network, encounter great writers, learn, and work on one’s writing abilities, and as the festival is free, I hope to see more young writers and students make use of this opportunity.
I will forever be grateful to have been a part of the festival—a piece of handmade Namibian history.”
***
Samuel Mayinoti, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer and 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Award judge said:
“I want to thank Doek for the opportunity to participate in the 2026 edition of the literary festival, both as part of the wider audience and also as one of the moderators. The event was one of the best literary gatherings I have so far witnessed and experienced in Namibia. Everything about it pointed to meticulous planning and an enormous investment in work and energy. I can imagine how much stress was levied upon the organising team for an event of such magnitude, more so that it brought together such diversity of literary players and voices from across the world.
The discussions were great; I particularly loved how everything constantly pointed to the theme which pondered and deliberated about the need for the intentional making of history. Namibia, in particular, needs such conversations and cross pollination of ideas while its literary space is still in infancy. There are, however, encouraging signs of growth and future blossoming.
All the best to Doek—I know 2028 will soon (or it already has started) demand more curation and mobilisation of various energies towards the achievement of even bigger and impactful festival.”
***
Hugh Ellis-Mwiya, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Poet, 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Award Fiction shortlistee, and the author of Hakahana said:
“In a world that increasingly seems to devalue what poets and other literary artists have to offer, the 2026 Doek Literary Festival was a breath of fresh air. It reminded me of the immortal words of English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley who said that poets (and if I may add, novelists, essayists and short-story writers, too) are “the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”
The festival was well-planned and efficiently organised. It had the rare distinction among
Namibian events of starting and ending all sessions at the times stated in the programme, with all the logistics in place. The Goethe-Institut proved to be an excellent and accessible venue, and Alexandra Dunaiski’s artwork was a stunning backdrop to the discussions.
The festival provided four days of thought-provoking discussions and enjoyable performances.
I was honoured to be invited to share the poetry stage with my fellow poets from around the world. To share insights and compare notes with poets from as far afield as the United States, Palestine, Zimbabwe, and all corners of Namibia was an intellectually stimulating experience.
I had a wonderful time at this year’s Doek Literary Festival, and it inspired me to explore some new directions in my poetic journey, as well as to continue to pursue a foray into fiction writing which I started last year after being inspired by contributions to Doek! Literary Magazine.
I would like to thank Doek, the sponsors, and all of those who volunteered their efforts for a great literary festival in 2026.
May there be many more!”
***
Jedidja Kakuva, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Poet and 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Award Poetry winner said:
“The 2026 Doek Literary Festival pulled me out of my shell.
The logistics team—Rémy Ngamije and Clement Dunaiski in particular—made sure I got everywhere I needed to be, from the Intercape Bus Stop on arrival and departure, and to all of my engagements. Rémy and Gregory Pardlo each gifted me a book of their works, and Cara Mia Dunaiski’s food made the lunch and dinners a highlight. Around those tables I had serious conversations about literature with Gregory, Bongani Kona, and Pumla Dineo Gqola. I enjoyed the stories of the brilliant Ondjaki. My time was well spent with the architecture students from the University at Buffalo, where we talked about culture.
What stayed with me most was the ease of connection: writers, poets, visual artists, musicians, and architects gathered together—people I could only reach by email (if I was lucky), and here we all were sharing meals and conversation.
For a writer building a career from Tsumeb, that kind of access is rare.
Doek made it possible, and it deserves continued support.”
***
Vekondjisa Nosipho Katusuva, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Poet and 2025 Bak Windhoek Doek Literary Award Poetry shortlistee said:
“The 2026 Doek Literary Festival was everything I had hoped for. Having the opportunity to perform my published poems and sharing them with the audience was truly special.
It was encouraging to be in a space where art was supported, it makes me want to continue creating, especially in a country like Namibia where the literary scene is still growing. Witnessing a space like the Goethe-Institut come alive was a beautiful reminder of what is possible for storytellers. It makes the dream of building a sustainable career as a writer in Namibia a little less distant and a lot more tangible.
One of the most memorable aspects of the festival was being able to connect with writers from across Africa and beyond. It was a privilege listening to their stories, exchanging ideas, perspectives, and the motivations behind their work. There was something surreal about how words, stories, and shared experiences brought people from across different backgrounds and borders together.
I left feeling really inspired, encouraged, and more hopeful about the future of literature in Namibia. If anything, the experience reaffirmed the importance of creating and maintaining spaces where storytellers can share their work, learn from one another, and imagine new possibilities for the literary landscape.
The Doek Literary Festival was not only an opportunity to celebrate literature but also a reminder that Namibia’s literary future is something worth believing in, investing in, and being part of.”
***
Clarise Reichley, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer and literary magazine editor said:
“The 2026 Doek Literary Festival was handmade and heartmade! Every facet of the festival was a labour of love—from the program design and organisation to the generosity of spirit and candidness offered by participants during conversations—and, of course, during the vinyl selection sessions that opened each night’s proceedings. The festival was a soulful celebration not only of all things literary, but also musical, architectural, and visual. The interdisciplinary quality of conversations has given me lots to consider—healing the dead to heal the living, excavating silence, and the fertility of opposition.
Of all the literary festivals I have attended, none has been so egalitarian, community-oriented, and (dare I say?!) fun as Doek. I relished watching audience members mingle with festival participants and the connections that sparked among people from disparate corners of the globe.
Amidst all of this deliciousness, the highlight for me was engaging in communal hands-on-paper, pens-in-hand writing sessions during Saturday’s workshop-a-thon.
In my memory, Windhoek will remain a place where exquisite corpses were written exquisitely among strangers-turned-co-creators; a place where we sat in a classroom of the Goethe-Institut growing progressively more riled up as Gregory Pardlo provoked us to think about what a poem actually is—and to become aware of all the canonical rules we had mindlessly been believing for years. No longer!
So many fresh possibilities were set free during this festival and I cannot wait to see all the ways the attending readers and writers continue to be history in the (hand)making.”
***
Filemon Iiyambo, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer and 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Award Fiction winner said:
“Over four rainy days at the end of September, Windhoek once again welcomed literary lights from eclectic geographies, paired with an amazing cast of local writers and poets, and supported by an audience that grows more diverse at every edition—this is the recipe for an unforgettable literary festival.
The 2026 Doek literary festival delivered the most diverse collection of apple jokes known to man, two nights of captivating poetry, and a backdrop that was entirely made by hand. This spirit of making inspired interesting discussions around the challenges and value of analogue storytelling in a world where the machine is increasingly shaping the literary landscape.
Opinions were expressed, disagreements emerged (understandably so), and a few new friendships were forged in the process.
Creating a festival entirely by hand in a world where technology can produce so much so quickly may seem a little crazy, but perhaps there is something valuable in focusing on the journey of the making of a thing rather than the thing itself.
Rémy Ngamije and Doek’s collaborating team proved that they know what they are doing, and perhaps that is the thing that keeps us all coming back.
With sponsors such as Bank Windhoek, the Windham Campbell Prizes, Goethe-Institut Namibia, the Caine Prize for African Writing, the European Union Delegation to Namibia, and all of the other festival partners backing the festival, it can only be upwards from here.”
***
Xavierie Mbangtang, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Writer and literary experience curator said:
“Festivals are a love story, and if they burn brightly, they go down in history. They bring people together: you arrive as strangers and leave familiar to one another, and if you are lucky, as friends.
The 2026 Doek Literary Festival exemplified this in four dates. Like any meet-cute story, the first date began with few expectations, only the hope that it might become something great, something worth continuing. The introductions were made, the conversations began, the stories were read, and poetry was performed: stories and songs of ourselves. Faces were acknowledged, smiles were met with tentativeness or warmth, and by the end of the day, you were looking forward to the second date, excited to do it all again, to see what might unfold and to learn a little more about a face you could now call by name.
Then the second date arrived with expectations. It had to be better. We had all bought into the beginning of the story, but could we survive the middle? The initial novelty began to wear off, prompting the question: what else? What else was there to discover? They say books choose you at the right moment, when you are ready to read them. Perhaps festivals do the same. If the first date was about getting to know each other, the second was about discovering what the encounter might teach you about yourself. If you arrived expecting to learn more about the hands involved in literary spaces in Namibia, Afric, or the wider world, hopefully, you left having learnt something about who you were within them.
By the third date, the celebration was no longer just about the poetry, short stories, novels, visual art or conversations that had brought everyone together. It was about community: finding your person or, in this case, your people. It was about finding spaces that existed to see you, to hear you, to know you, and, if you were lucky, to understand why. None of this happened by chance. We showed up not only to support a culture of storytelling that sometimes felt under attack but also to sustain an art too often minimised or reduced to a trend. We showed up because history and the hands that made it mattered, and because there was something worth preserving in the act of gathering to listen.
By the fourth date, sitting in the workshops, reflecting on all that had unfolded and anticipating the words goodbye or see you again, it became clear that some experiences do more than entertain us; they become our classics. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is often credited with describing architecture as frozen music, so if Doek was the architecture, then its four dates were the music held within it, and each carried a distinct movement (like the five voices in the E for Effort Panel) in a composition that outlasted the occasion itself. Preserved in archives and in the memories of those who were there, that music would continue to play for as long as we kept its story alive.
I am thankful to Bank Windhoek, Goethe-Institut Namibia, the Windham Campbell Prizes, the Caine Prize for African Writing, the European Union Delegation to Namibia, the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, and every partner who helped keep the doors open.
I am equally thankful for the people who gave the festival its character: Rémy Ngamije’s dedication and leadership; Tanya Stroh’s commanding presence; Amine Serhane’s conscientious kindness; Katherine Hunter’s openness and rigour; and Joyce Hwang’s gentleness and remarkable ability to dissect a room with precision.
I am grateful to Ayesha Harruna Attah for her lesson in historical fiction; to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah for a story that reminded me how resilience can outlast naiveté; to Devon Walker-Figueroa for her openness and her love of big words like ‘truculence’; to Michael Kelleher for his story about ‘the thing’ (if you know the thing about that thing, you know); and to Nathalie Handel for her astounding poetry performance. I’m thankful to Frankie Murrey for her honesty; Ondjaki for his ability to make a room laugh; Bongani Kona for his introspection; Justin Boening for his earnestness; Jasko Rust for his diligence; and Roxanne Bayer for her kindness.
And to everyone whose name I have not mentioned (I still have so much to say) and to the hands that may have gone unnoticed but were nevertheless part of making this history: thank you.
Festivals, like love stories, are never made by the two people on the date alone. They are made by the place, the exchanges, moments and above all everyone who shows up.”
***
Johannes Shikongo, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Poet and 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Award Poetry shortlistee said:
“I arrived at the Doek Literary Festival as a poet with a folder of poems and a quiet case of impostor syndrome. I left with a full heart, a notebook filled with other people’s lines I wish I had written, and the strange, wonderful feeling that I had been adopted by a family I did not know was looking for me.
The workshops were where the real work happened. With Justin Boening we built poems the way one would build a fire with strangers: one line each, nobody seeing what the other had thrown on, trusting the blaze anyway. I still do not know who wrote half of what we made, and I do not want to. With Gregory Pardlo we sat with revision and its price, and I learned that the poem you are afraid to cut is usually the one holding the whole thing hostage.
But what I will carry longest is the thing you only get at Doek: the conversations. Me, a shortlisted poet from Windhoek, sitting across from writers I have read and admired from across the continent and the diaspora, and being asked, genuinely asked, what I am working on. There is no workshop for that. There is no masterclass for being taken seriously. There is only a festival that builds the room and lets it happen.”
***
Katherine Hunter, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Visual Artist and 2025 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards Fiction shortlistee said:
“The Doek Literary Festival is one of those events you have to attend. In Namibia, there truly is nothing like it. Bringing together writers, musicians, scholars, and artists, the festival creates a space for important discussions and a true appreciation of the arts.
As a young artist who participated in the 2026 edition of the festival, I am so grateful to have formed a part of something that is sure to continue changing Namibia for the better. Creative pursuits are so often neglected here, and this festival spotlights the arts as something that is not something only viable, but important.
There is no name I am prouder to have on my reference list. Since exhibiting my artworks at the festival, I have already seen doors open for me in terms of future exhibitions.
I do not believe in fate, but I do believe in the power of Doek.
Thank you to everyone involved in continuing to make this festival happen. I am already waiting to mark my calendar for the next one.”
***
Clara Mupopiwa, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Designer and 2023 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards Concept Designer said:
“Being part of the 2026 Doek Literary Festival was both a privilege and a wonderful creative experience. I am grateful to Rémy Ngamije and Doek for creating a space where artists and designers are encouraged to explore ideas, collaborate and, perhaps most importantly, create for the sake of creating.
As a designer, much of my work is driven by briefs, deadlines, and the needs of clients. The festival offered something different. It gave me the opportunity to revisit a project close to my heart that I started during my studies and finally bring it to life: Games from the Tree. The project explores African games, the stories they carry, and the role design can play in keeping aspects of our cultural heritage alive while giving them new expression.
What made the experience particularly special was the spirit of collaboration and the joy of making things by hand. There is something wonderful about discovering talents in people you never knew existed, including Ange Mucyo and Rémy Ngamije’s impressive woodworking skills. It was a reminder of the value of working together and how rewarding it can be to turn an idea into something tangible.
Beyond my own experience, the 2026 Doek Literary Festival demonstrates how important it is to create opportunities for different forms of artistic expression. It gives artists, writers, and designers a platform to share their work, exchange ideas and connect with audiences in ways that might not otherwise be possible.
I am thankful to have been part of something that not only celebrates creativity but actively makes room for it to happen.”
***
Brother Mbango, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Vinyl Selector and academic said:
“The 2026 Doek Literary Festival was too nice. And I write “too nice” with that feeling of happiness one wishes could stay a little longer.
Windhoek has too few artistic gatherings like this, so this year’s festival felt like the city taking a deep breath. Or, as Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) put it on ‘Respiration’ (featuring Common): ‘I can feel the city breathing.’ I, too, felt Windhoek breathing for those few days.
Although scheduling conflicts kept me from attending as much of the festival as I would have liked, the panel discussions I caught were a highlight. I found myself wrapped in the joy of listening to thoughtful and unhurried conversations between people who love stories. There was something lovely about hearing people exchange ideas, disagree (although there was very little of that), laugh, and offer one another new ways of seeing.
And the poetry readings: voices rising and falling, words landing alongside the soft rain that blessed our thirsty city during those few days. They reminded me why gatherings like this matter. Some moments simply stay with you, even when you cannot quite explain why.
I also had the privilege of participating in the festival, playing a vinyl selection set on its final day. The set took its theme from John Muafangejo’s print Hope and Optimism. I curated the music to be in conversation with the artwork. Although I must admit, it was no easy task to put together this set. But each record, I hoped, added something to the conversation between the print, the music and the people in the room.
I curated another vinyl session set at the post-festival party. It was an absolute pleasure meeting some of my favourite authors and getting them to dance. There is something special about watching people whose way with words you admire lose themselves to a groove.
As I left the party, I kept wishing the Doek Literary Festival would happen every year. But, then again, perhaps the wait is part of what makes its return so sweet.”
***
Le Roux van Schalkwyk, a 2026 Doek Literary Festival Vinyl Selector and photographer said:
“As a first-time attendee, I did not know what to expect, but knowing Rémy Ngamije, I was sure it would be anything but average. In the end, for me, the two words that best describe it are: insightful and inspiring. With so many exceptional writers and artists under one roof, it could hardly have been anything else.
I am grateful to have been part of something so remarkable at a relatively early stage, and hope to be involved again in the future. The festival has not yet reached its peak, and already it is a world-class event. It is exciting to imagine what the next editions hold for the Doek Literary Festival. With such an extraordinary and passionate team behind it, the future is bright.”
