Damn Etu

Damn Etu, born Frieda Ndeutala Kaunapawa Mukufa, is a Namibian writer, poet and performer.  Her poetry speaks to both the personal and the political. She is the founder of a poetry platform called damn_etu, which explores healing, resistance and the preservation of memory through performance. Her aim is for the brand to amplify voices, especially those of women who were once silenced.  

Growing up in a traditional setting, she claims that silence was a major part of life and words were often taken away from her. Her biggest inspirations for her writing were all the women whose abuse she witnessed growing up. She honors them by telling their stories which brings her great joy.  

She holds a Masters degree in English and Applied Linguistics from the Namibia University of Science an Technology and she is a past Doek! Poetry Fellow and Spectrum Poetry Award winner.  She has even performed at events like TEDxSwakopmund. Whether she’s headlining poetry shows, mentoring youth, or dropping raw poetic monologues online, Damn Etu remains fiercely independent and unapologetically herself.