Hello African Wikimedians!
Thank you for turning out in such great numbers to support the launch of
the "Integrating Wikimedia Projects into the African Libraries Ecosystem"
project on Friday, November 1, 2024! Your presence made the event truly
memorable. If you missed it, you can catch up on the recording here -
https://youtu.be/IFwzUd5KwcI <https://youtu.be/IFwzUd5KwcI>
The #IWIPALE project, funded by WMF through the Knowledge Equity Fund
(KEF), seeks to build greater and sustainable rapport between the African
Wikimedia movement and the African Library and Information science sector
and that is why there are 2 components; the data gathering aspect and then
a pilot initiative, in partnership with Wikimedia Deutschland, to develop a
semantic Authority Control system powered by Wikibase, to give more
visibility to African knowledge.
Following the launch, we'd like to invite all African Wikimedians to
participate in our regional and language based series of open discussions
focussed on answering the question, "How can Wikimedia projects be
seamlessly integrated into library routines in Africa?" This fact-finding
session aims to gather insights and ideas from diverse voices across
Africa, including yours.
Below is a schedule of the Virtual Conversation sessions, times, dates and
registration link:
1. West Africa (English speaking) @ Thursday, 7th November, 2024, 10:30am
GMT
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Fp6gO1W6TKyXURMsL04HvA#/registr…
Moderator: Olusola Olaniyan, President, Nigeria Wikimedia User Group
2. Central Africa @ Thursday, 14th November, 2024, 10:30am GMT
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_So7gqxkMSxCRVAjsfBzcOA#/registr…
Moderator: Georges Fodouop, Co-founder, Cameroon Wikimedia User Group,
Chairman, WikiFranca
3. North Africa @ Tuesday, 19th November, 2024, 10:30am GMT
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YP18DaNgTuKcjSJk8L7SqQ#/registr…
Moderator: Afek Ben Chahed, General Secretary, WIkiFranca and Community
Facilitator, Wiki in Africa
4. East Africa @ Tuesday, 26th November, 2024, 10:30am GMT
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IEBXxrVASTKYr6DmubNKrQ#/registr…
Moderator: Alice Kibombo, Senior Program Officer (Libraries), WMF
5. West Africa (French Speaking) @ Wednesday, 27th November, 2024
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tecG-DlqTo-TpdxmAlfmnQ#/registr…
Moderator: Kangah Donatien KOFFI, Co-founder, Wikimedia Côte d’Ivoire User
Group
6. Southern Africa @ Thursday, 28th November. 2024, 10:30am GMT
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OXVMB_lhQU229PIKEArUow#/registr…
Moderator: Bobby Shabangu, President, Wikimedia South Africa Chapter
Do not miss this opportunity to come and share your thoughts and learn from
others, as we explore new ways to enrich African content on Wikimedia
projects and library services with Wikimedia tools.
Stanley,
AfLIA Communications
---
*Follow AfLIA to keep updated.*
*Official Website* <http://web.aflia.net/> *|* *Official Facebook*
<https://www.facebook.com/aflianetwork/> *| **Official Twitter*
<https://twitter.com/AfLIACon>
* | Official YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPaQeggWf7gVPSkLhYl9_8g>*
To join AfLIA: Send an email to
*membership(a)aflia.net <membership(a)aflia.net> *
Dear Wikimedians,
Thank you for joining us in Wiki Loves Monuments UAE 2024
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments_2024_in_the…>!
Your contributions have been invaluable in capturing the beauty and history
of the UAE’s cultural heritage.
Thanks to your dedication, we’ve successfully added 302 unique images to
our collection, each one showcasing the essence of the UAE. These photos
are now under review by our jury panel to highlight the most remarkable
submissions.
Stay tuned—by November 30th, we’ll be announcing the top contributors and
prize winners!
Once again, thank you for helping to preserve and celebrate the UAE’s
heritage through your lens. We’re excited to share the results soon!
Warm regards,
The Wiki Loves Monuments UAE Team
Ndewo!
Greetings Dear Wikimedians,
The #Shesaid 2024 Edit-a-thon contest in the Igbo community has ended with
over 3,600 pages created, 12,600 pages edited and 26,300 total edits.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Rw2QBR19rG7fnthZ/?mibextid=oFDknk
Thanks to all the amazing participants and facilitator for a job well done.
Ụnụ emeela!
Kind regards,
Kingsley Nkem,
FOR:
IGBO WIKIMEDIANS USER GROUP
Dear African Wikimedians,
We’re excited to invite you to the upcoming *Wiki-Imagine Lagos Webinar*,
organized in collaboration with the *Lagos State Government* and *Wikimedia
User Group Nigeria*. This event kicks off a project to document and promote
Lagos’ unique sites, culture, and heritage on Wikipedia and beyond. We
would love to have you join us in this mission!
*Event Details*:
Date: November 14, 2023
Time: 3:00PM - 5:00PM WAT
Topic: Documenting Lagos: The Role of Journalism in Cultural Preservation
Location: Zoom (link will be provided upon registration)
Registration: https://bit.ly/WiLWebinarandWritingContest
In addition to launching the project, the webinar will feature a panel
session with distinguished guests who bring valuable insights into heritage
documentation, cultural promotion, and digital archiving. We will announce
the lineup soon, so stay tuned!
*What to Expect:*
- Learn more about the Wiki-Imagine Lagos initiative and its vision for
preserving Lagos’ heritage.
- Gain insights on how to contribute effectively to cultural
documentation projects within Wikimedia.
- Connect with fellow African Wikimedians and enthusiasts dedicated to
cultural preservation.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions and also check out the
project's meta page (
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Re-Imagine_Lagos_Project) for more
information. We’re looking forward to your participation and can’t wait to
work together to showcase Lagos’ rich culture to a global audience!
Warm regards,
Barakat Adegboye,
Wikimedian-in-Residence,
Wiki Imagine Lagos.
Dear African Wikimedians!
AfLIA would like to extend an invitation to you to attend the launch of
the
Integrating Wikimedia projects into African Libraries’ Ecosystem project, a
project funded through the WMF Knowledge Equity Fund.
This project seeks to bridge critical gaps in knowledge accessibility by
addressing two key issues:
1. Why aren’t African content and topics in Wikipedia and Wikidata
linked to African libraries and databases, and how can this be addressed?
2. How can usage of Wiki projects and tools be integrated into routine
library services across African libraries for the benefit of African
patrons?
The launch is scheduled for 10:30am GMT on Zoom today (1st November, 2024).
Join us to learn more about the project and how you can be a part of it! For
more information on how to attend the launch, please visit
https://web.aflia.net/launch-integrating-wikipedia-into-african-libraries-e…
Thanks.
Stanley Boakye-Achampong
AfLIA Communications
---
*Follow AfLIA to keep updated.*
*Official Website* <http://web.aflia.net/> *|* *Official Facebook*
<https://www.facebook.com/aflianetwork/> *| **Official Twitter*
<https://twitter.com/AfLIACon>
* | Official YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPaQeggWf7gVPSkLhYl9_8g>*
To join AfLIA: Send an email to
*membership(a)aflia.net <membership(a)aflia.net> *
Dear Wikimedians, To enhance community involvement in resource
decision-making, we are inviting you to share your feedback and input for
the Round 1 General Support Funding - applications. Your insights are
invaluable in supporting the regional funding committee to allocate
resources effectively and support impactful projects within the Wikimedia
movement.
What is needed from you:
- 📖 Read proposals: Explore the funding requests on the SSA Region Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Regions/Sub-Saharan_Africa#General_S…>
application pages.
-
*💬 Provide constructive feedback:*
-
Share your expertise to help applicants strengthen their projects.
-
Offer suggestions based on your experiences or concerns that can
improve the proposals.
-
Ask specific questions to ensure the projects have a clear path to
success. In case it is helpful, you can use this review framework
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/Co…>
to provide comprehensive feedback. Other formats are welcome.
⏰ Timeline you would work with:
-
Review period: November 1st - 15th
-
How to submit feedback:
-
Comment directly on the application discussion pages (preferred)
-
Email your feedback to the Program Officer (ssa_fund(a)wikimedia.org )
Your participation will contribute to the reviewing and decision-making
efforts of the regional funding committee and staff in ensuring equitable
and impactful resourcing of our movement. If you have feedback on how we
can improve this feedback-seeking process, let us know as well.
Thank you for your time and dedication.
Kind Regards,
Veronica Thamaini
--
Veronica Thamaini | Manager - Regional Funding Programs, Community Resources
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/>