The 2023 Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards announced Nelson Mlambo, Natasha Uys and Namafu Amutse as this year’s judging panel, while Clara Mupopiwa and Erik Schnack, are the commissioned artists.
The panel of judges features a diverse selection of award-winning literary professionals and enthusiasts from Namibia.
Bank Windhoek in a press release issued on Tuesday said that the chosen panel brings considerable experience to the adjudication process.
It said that they are committed to recognising and rewarding Namibian literary artists who have produced resonant works in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art.
“As for the commissioned artists, each edition of the Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards carries a theme built around a specific concept. The idea is finally translated into physical form. It takes shape as unique trophies awarded to each year’s winning literary artists,” it said.
The statement indicated that Mlambo has degrees in literature and communication from the University of Zimbabwe, the University of Namibia (UNAM), and Stellenbosch University. He is a Senior Lecturer at UNAM; his areas of interest are literary studies, with a particular focus on African literature.
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 works as a sub-editor for The Namibian newspaper and holds a postgraduate diploma in media management from Rhodes University.
Amutse is a multidisciplinary artist from Namibia pursuing a Bachelor of Education Honours degree in English and German at the University of Namibia. She is a photographer, film director, and writer.
Mupopiwa is an award-winning multidisciplinary designer and educator from Namibia and Schnack, born in Windhoek, Namibia, is a Michaelis School of Fine Art graduate with a BA Hon (FA) specialising in sculpture.
The Bank Windhoek Doek Literary Awards are awarded every two years to celebrate the works of four Namibian literary artists published in Doek! Literary Magazine, Namibia’s first and only literary magazine. As part of Doek’s mission to foster a robust literary community in the country, the awards seek to bring a wider Namibian and international audience to the selected works and literary artists.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency