By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, May 17 — Bank Windhoek reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the arts as the official sponsor of the second Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards. Jacquiline Pack, the Bank’s Executive Officer for Marketing and Corporate Communication Services, made the announcement in Windhoek on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Pack expressed the Bank’s ongoing support for the awards, which have totalled N$400,000 to date.
Reflecting Bank Windhoek’s active role in the arts, Pack emphasized the utilization of the Bank’s extensive national presence through branches, social media platforms, and website to reach wider audiences and encourage submissions from talented individuals across the country.
The Doek Literary Awards, recognizing Namibian talent in writing (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and visual arts, were established by the Doek! Literary Magazine (Doek!), an online literary publication founded in Namibia in 2019. Rémy Ngamije, the co-founder of the magazine, described the awards as a “literary tradition that Bank Windhoek helped kickstart.” Ngamije expressed gratitude for the Bank’s support, which has enabled the celebration of authentically Namibian stories and their broader reach.
The Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards hold great prestige within the arts community. Namafu Amutse, the 2021 Visual Arts Category winner, shared how the support and interest in her work have increased, leading her to exhibit in cities like London and Dubai. Her artwork was also featured in Lolwe, a Kenyan-based literary magazine, making her the only Namibian visual artist published in Lolwe.
To be eligible for the 2023 Doek! Literary Awards, entrants must be Namibian, whether residing in the country or in the diaspora, and submit their artwork in at least one of the four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual arts. Published entries automatically qualify for the awards. A shortlist of 12 artists, three from each category, will be selected, with different prizes awarded to each finalist. The winners in each category will receive the grand prize of N$5,000. The awards will consider publications from the two previous editions of the Doek! as well as the upcoming two editions, providing two additional opportunities for entry.
The Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards will be held in November, preceded by engagement activities aimed at widespread information sharing to reach as many people as possible. – Namibia Daily News
