Namibian literature shines at Doek! festival

Dearest gentle reader, one thing worth noting about this author is her love for the art of literature.

The energy at the Doek! Literary Festival was vibrant on its first day at the Goethe Institute of Namibia on Wednesday.

The Doek! Literary Festival is hosted every two years in Namibia and it celebrates the work of writers, poets and visual artists who have contributed to Doek! Literary Magazine also aims to showcase the best of Namibian literature alongside works from Africa and the African diaspora.

The festival was hosted from 21 to 24 August.

Doek! Literary Magazine co-founder and editor-in-chief Rémy Ngamije thanked all stakeholders involved in the organisation of the event and stated that their support allowed the festival to remain free.

“This year’s festival and all of its events are free to attend because they understand the importance of access,” Ngamije said.

The festival featured guest poets Charmaine //Gamxamus and Veripuami Nandee Kangumine who captivated the audience with their poetry, and workshops with African giants in literature such as Femi Kayode, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, Ondjaki, Troy Onyango and Zukiswa Wanner as well as rising local literary stars Fillemon Iiyambo and Ndawedwa Hanghuwo.

Performances by Querida, Gabes and Slow kept the audience on their feet.

Speaking at the event, Doek! Arts Trust’s first patron justice David Smuts said artists across the continent are undervalued and underappreciated.

He emphasised that, at least for Namibia, there is a constitutional right of freedom of expression.

“I’ve learned from many of you that have come here and in other traditions, that is not the case. Not only are the writers there underappreciated, but they are down right threatened and intimidated,” Smuts said.

Speaking to Desert Radio on Tuesday, writer and Doek! copy editor Roxane Bayer encouraged young creatives to “just do it”.

“I think that’s the thing. You just have to do it. There’s no other way to get better at writing. There’s no way to get better at anything if you don’t actively do it,” Bayer said.

Bayer, with a background in earth science and journalism, said the link between the two disciplines allows her to approach stories with logic and an added element of storytelling.

Bayer’s work covers deeply personal and emotional themes which she says are inspired by the realisation that, as someone in her late 20’s, she’s surrounded by grief.

“We are surrounded by a lot of death. So, there’s that grief, but then there’s also the grief of your childhood ending and your teenage years ending. There are places where I grew up that I can never go back to, maybe a house that was sold, just a place that’s gone,” she said.

Bayer said she met Ngamije and he asked her to submit her work to Doek!.

This author feels proud of how Ngamije is scouting out these young writers and bringing them to the forefront, allowing them to be expressive in their writing.

This year marks the second edition of the festival. The theme for this year’s festival was ‘Independence – freedom through reading and writing’.