Doek

Since Namibia gained its independence in 1990, much attention has been paid to manufacturing, farming, mining, fishing, and tourism. Literature (its production, distribution, and enjoyment) is currently one of the most ignored aspects of artistic and cultural production in the country. This has resulted in the country lacking a local, national, continental, and international identity and voice. Namibia might have secured its independence, but it is still waiting for its freedom.

My goal as the country's first internationally published author is to ensure I do not remain the only one, a distressing possibility given the lack of investment in the literary arts. My mission is to discover the second, third, fourth, and umpteenth writers who shall form the country's literary tradition.

With the Elevate Prize's funding, I would be able to fulfill Doek's mandate: to discover and nurture writers (through Doek's writing workshops), support (by establishing a sustainable publishing industry), publish (via Doek! Literary Magazine), and distribute the works of promising Namibian and African writers, poets, and visual artists in innovative ways in the country and around the continent (through a recently secured partnership with DHL Africa, announcement pending).

I am a Rwandan-born Namibian writer and photographer. I am the
founder, chairperson, and artministrator of Doek, an independent arts
organisation in Namibia supporting the literary arts. I am also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Doek! Literary Magazine. My debut novel The Eternal Audience Of One is forthcoming from Scout Press (S&S) in August, 2021.

My work has appeared in numerous publications including, among others, American Chordata (US), Columbia Journal (US), The Forge Literary Magazine (US), and Necessary Fiction (US). I am currently shortlisted for 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. I was shortlisted for the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing in 2020, longlisted for the 2020 and 2021 Afritondo Short Story Prizes, and shortlisted for Best Original Fiction by Stack Magazines.

My literary achievements, such as they are, are solitary and in danger of being singular. Through Doek, I hope to ensure more Namibian writers, poets, and visual artists are supported and, in doing so, help to create a new class of citizens who meaningfully contribute to the country's economic growth and political development. Through literature, I plan to bring a new consciousness to local, national, and continental dialogues

Namibia, at present, has no literary footprint at home or abroad. This results in a paucity local literature and, therefore, a unifying national identity which is able to galvanise collective action or foster productive debate. This has resulted in poor political participation. A meaningful solution to the problem is to bolster Namibian writing and publishing, to bring Namibians to themselves and then to the world.

Q: How does one jump-start a literary tradition?
A: Doek! Literary Magazine—Namibia’s first and only literary magazine. Before Doek! no Namibian literary writers were published internationally.

Q: How does one empower local storytellers to produce and share their work?
A: Doek Workshops—in-person workshops for Windhoek-based writers and visual artists which teach both abstract and practical aspects of literary production. They also provide mentorship opportunities.

Q: How does one show the literary arts create communities capable of meaningfully participating in economic, social, and political life?
A: Doek Studio—an urban revival project involving the creation of a multi-purpose space housing Doek’s offices and a creative writing and teaching workshop.

Doek works with available resources to create meaningful and sustainable creative opportunities for Namibian literary artists at home and abroad.

Doek is the only organisation in Namibia's history supporting the literary arts and its practitioners. The newness of the endeavour is disruptive an arts industry in which film and performance-based art have been favoured (leading to waste and mismanagement of funding).

Doek is led by its patron, the Honourable Justice David Smuts (a judge of Namibia's Supreme Court), and a board of trustees with an array of financial, scientific, and artistic skills. This makes Doek highly creative and competent. Its commitment to transparency and accountability makes it a trusted institution.

What makes Doek unique is its desire to be aggressively sustainable. Funding treated as the scarcest of resources. Projects are designed to have maximum inclusivity and reach in the present and an archival future impact. Doek has managed to capture local attention: for the first time in Namibia's history literary artists are producing and consuming their own work. Doek has also disrupted the literary landscape in Africa: Namibia is now an emerging voice in the continent's literary imagination and has inspired smaller, similarly-placed countries to charge of shaping their literary futures. The goal is to have a robust network Doek-like organisations around Africa.

Doek! Literary Magazine has successfully brought Namibian writing to local and international readers. This has sparked curiosity about the country and its people. The possibility of Namibia becoming a literary destination (for literary exchanges and residencies) has appeared on the horizon. Doek! has managed to secure a reputation as a leading publication on the continent and can curate the wisdom of Booker Prize-shortlisted authors such as Maaza Mengiste.

Doek's workshops have nurtured a small cohort of Namibian writers, poets, and visual artists who are now able to take part in literary activities such submission processes and competitions.

One of Doek's long-term goals is to produce its first print edition, a project that would serve as a commodity capable of being bought and sold in Namibia and abroad (to fund Doek's current and future projects). Through successful lobbying, Doek also hopes to have its work prescribed and taught in Namibian schools and universities (at present, the Namibian curriculum does not have any local literature).

Ultimately, communities, societies, nations, and the world is shaped by stories. Doek is actively creating a holistic understanding of the world by ensuring Namibia and smaller literary traditions are represented in literature.