The Doek Arts Trust has announced the return of the 2026 Doek Literary Festival, a four-day celebration of literature, art, music and storytelling taking place in Windhoek from Wednesday, 30 September to Saturday, 3 October 2026. Held under the theme ‘History is Handmade’, this year’s festival invites readers, writers, artists and the wider public to reflect on the human effort behind storytelling; from the written word and spoken poetry to visual art, music, food, craft and conversation.
Hosted by the Doek Arts Trust in partnership with Bank Windhoek every two years, the festival has grown into one of Namibia’s leading cultural platforms, showcasing local literature alongside voices from Africa, the African diaspora and the wider international literary community.
The 2026 edition will feature conversations, poetry readings, creative writing and craft workshops, a curated art exhibition, musical performances, vinyl listening sessions and a culinary experience rooted in Namibian hospitality. For the first time, the festival will also include a practical Arabic calligraphy workshop, adding a distinctive creative dimension to the programme.
This year’s programme brings together award-winning and emerging literary voices from Namibia, Africa and the world, including Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (USA), Ayesha Harruna Attah (Ghana), Pumla Dineo Gqola (South Africa), Ondjaki (Angola), Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (Zimbabwe), Nathalie Handal (USA), Gregory Pardlo (USA), Devon Walker-Figueroa (USA), and Amine Serhane (Morocco).
Visual artists Katherine Hunter and Amine Serhane will exhibit work during the festival, while Querida returns with live performances alongside vinyl selectors Brother Mbango, DJ Musketeer and Le Roux van Schalkwyk. Festival guests Joyce Hwang and Mervyn Sloman will contribute to conversations about literature, cities, community and the sustainability of literary festivals.
As an official partner of Doek since 2021, Bank Windhoek continues to contribute to the development of Namibia’s literary ecosystem. Through its support of Doek’s projects, including the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards and the Doek Literary Festival, the Bank has helped
create platforms for writers, poets, visual artists and cultural practitioners to develop, connect and gain recognition.
Doek noted that many of this year’s festival guests and contributors, from interns and designers to writers, poets and visual artists, are connected to initiatives made possible through Bank Windhoek’s sustained collaboration with the organisation. This partnership reflects the Bank’s commitment to creating value for stakeholders and supporting positive change in the communities it serves.
Admission to all festival events is free of charge. Where stationery or art supplies are required for selected workshops, these will also be provided at no cost to participants, in line with Doek’s mission to make literature more accessible. The full daily programme is available at festival.doek.africa.
END.
