doek

/ dʊk /

noun

1. informal,  a square of cloth worn mainly by African women to cover the head, esp to indicate married status

Word History and Origins

Origin of doek¹

C18: from Afrikaans: cloth

Example Sentences

Kwani?, which ceased publication before Wainaina’s death, inspired the Namibian author Rémy Ngamije to start his own literary magazine, Doek!

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Ngamije continues to see Wainaina’s spirit living on in Doek! and the movement he initiated.

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The new titles, which in addition to Lolwe and Doek include Isele Magazine, based in the United States, and Imbiza Journal for African Writing, based in South Africa, are often eliciting reactions just by their names.

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Doek means a cloth or a head scarf in Afrikaans, but it is also a play on the name of Namibia’s capital, Windhoek.

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But with Doek’s focus on publishing work by Namibians, he added, he hoped to “bring not only Namibian writing to Africa and the world but to also bring a little bit of Africa to us.”

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