Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards 2023 judges revealed

Dr Nelson Mlambo, Natasha Uys, and Namafu Amutse were revealed to the judges of the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards 2023 on July 6, 2023.

The Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards, a first for Namibia, was introduced to the African literary community in 2021 by Doek. The first winners of the bi-annual awards in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry were Ndawedwa Denga Hanghuwo, Natasha Uys, and Pauline Buhle Ndhlovu.

The 2023 cycle of the awards is upon us as the organisers announced the judges selecting the winners. They are;

Judge: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

Dr Nelson Mlambo has degrees in literature and communication from the University of Zimbabwe, the University of Namibia, and Stellenbosch University. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Namibia; his areas of interest are literary studies, with a particular focus on African literature. Dr Mlambo is an Africa-Oxford (AfOx) Fellow and is currently a Visiting Academic at Oxford University (2023-2024). He has published over 50 journal articles, books, and book chapters on African literature.

Judge: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

Natasha Uys is a Namibian writer and editor from Windhoek. She has worked in the media industry for 17 years, and regularly writes about her lifelong love: books. She currently works as a sub editor for The Namibian and holds a postgraduate diploma in media management from Rhodes University. In November 2021, she won the inaugural nonfiction award at the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards for her essay, “Ouma Sofie’s Gold”.

Judge: Visual Arts

Namafu Amutse is a multidisciplinary artist from Namibia pursuing a Bachelors of Education Honours degree in English and German at the University of Namibia. She is a photographer, film director, and writer. In 2021 she became the inaugural visual arts winner at the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards for her photography series “Chrysalis“, first published in Issue 4 of Doek Literary Magazine. Her work has been exhibited in Windhoek, Dubai, London, and Freiburg. Namafu’s work has been featured in Pitch Magazine, Culture Icon Zine, Tender Photo, Lolwe, and Black Masculinities.

For those who want to enter, you can find the rules by clicking here.