Hi all, I am sorry if I was not clear in my earlier e-mail to Rexford (not on list).

I am a Wikimedian of over ten years standing. I have been a member of Wikimedia UK since it was founded, but I am not, nor ever have been a trustee or an employee.

However I am active on the WMUK Education Committee:

https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Education_Committee

However, this is a matter that has not been raised with that committee, and I speak entirley for myself, and should not be regarded as a spokesperson for Wikimedia UK.

Firstly, as a volunteer I did help deliver training at an event organised by Kwaku in 2013:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_African_diaspora/Black_B...

Wikimedia UK provided premises for the event and a member of staff to help run the event (maybe they were there in a voluntary capacity)> Also refreshments were provided, perhaps at Kwaku'a expense. However that was not the impression I formed at the time.

Of course, I gave my time freely. However, although I could have claimed travel expenses, as far as i can remember, I chose not to.

Another point I raised with Rexford was that in a private capacity, nothing to do with WMUK, I am at the early stages of discussing an Open Knowledge intiative which will involve a community group in Accra.

I would like to know whether he and/or WikimediaGh would be interested in getting involved, in principle, in such an initiative.

Forgive me if I was presumptious in contacting Rexford first, but I did so because I was already familiar with him since contacting him in June 2012 as regards the Black History Month editathon of that October: https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Black_History_Month,_2012

It is only by looking at his contributions in preparation for this response, that I noticed he had not made an edit on the WMUK wiki since that time.

I quite understand Rexford's reservations about how WMUK handled the matter, and equally his desire not to get further drawn into the confusions which have consequentially arisen.

Also Rupert was kind enough to put a posting on the wikimediauk-l list:

http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimediauk-l/2014-April/012022.html

Perhaps Rupert might consider whether it is appropriate to post it to this list as well, or maybe it is simpler if those that are interested follow the above link.

all the best

Fabian

Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 14:43:30 +0200 From: Nkansah Rexford nkansahrexford@gmail.com To: Planning Wikimedia Ghana Chapter wikimedia-gh@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-GH] BritishBlackMusic.com Message-ID: CAKt11bWQSJft4qw8cJxT4=oEAbcXMTgYYBQ2eJbo3ZwsqMUSqg@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Thank you Fae for your continuous support in getting to the bottom of this issue. Currently, lessons to be learned depends on the WMUK. The event is over, and I'm sure 'The Kwaku' has already bloated up his CV once more saying he's been supported by the WMUK.

I don't know what the WMUK are thinking now. Plus I don't know where 'The Kwaku' is at right now. Perhaps he's left Ghana back to his mother foundation, the WMUK.

Once again, I don't know how many Wikimedia UK are in the world. The chapters website tell me there's one, but it seems there are several of WMUK around. I got an email from User:Leutha who didn't tell me who he/she was in relation to the Wikimedia UK, but expressed no knowledge as to the arrangements of 'The Kwaku's" event. I don't know if all WMUK board or members are aware that an event like that was to happen in Ghana the past week.

What I don't know are many, and unfortunately, the Wikimedia UK have managed to confuse me properly. And they are doing so very well, because even though I raised the conflict of dates of the event of 'The Kwaku', still, the Wikimedia UK website is reflecting the date as 28th, meanwhile the event happened on the 29th https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Events

Can I say I doubt the efficiency and professionalism of the WMUK, at least in this instance? If clearly they knew nothing about this event and didn't support in any way or the other, how long did they want someone to drag their name around before they take actions? If they still don't even know when their supported event happened, can something good be written home about?

I'm glad some of our local Wikipedians were present (in their brand new Wikipedia branded T-Shirts) to support the event. I was tuned in live on Saturday to hear some parts of the event, and I can say for sure that such an opportunity with about 35 persons in attendance could have been *properly and better *converted into something *more *worthwhile if our local team were fully aware and allowed to take part in the event right from the start.

Now that the whole show is over, I rest my case. Something could have been down before the event, but now that its over, its over.

I hope and wish the confusion among the WMUK also rest. Please, Fae, can you tell the WMUK to change the date from 28th to 29th?

Thank you Fae, enjoy your day.

On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 1:54 PM, Fæ faewik@gmail.com wrote:

...

On 31 March 2014 08:10, Jon Davies jon.davies@wikimedia.org.uk wrote:

...

Apologies for delay in replying but I have been away.

As previously stated our relationship as a chapter in this isntance is

with

...

Kwaku as a volunteer.

We organised an editathon last year with BTWSC/BBM as you know. Not

funding

...

was involved.

It might be an idea to let one of your employees handle international events and answer questions like these when you are on holiday rather than leaving a silence. Questions were raised as far back as 20th March, which is a long time in advance of the event for there to be no answers on basic logistics or matters of governance and reputation.[1]

I am puzzled by your statement that WMUK ran an editathon last year in partnership with BritishBlackMusic.com without offering to support with any expenses. For the workshop on Saturday in Accra, the UK did provide funding and official merchandizing though the amount paid or promised has not been published.

I am concerned that your statement that there was no relationship with BTWSC or BritishBlackMusic.com for Saturday's workshop in Ghana as you are retrospectively contradicting the published advertizing:

• Wikimedia UK's events page listed the workshop with a link of

"BritishBlackMusic.com_in_assn_with_BTWSC/Wikimedia_UK" which is an unambiguous claim that BritishBlackMusic.com were providing it in association with Wikimedia UK.[2]

• The official Eventbrite listing states that the workshop in Accra

was organized by BritishBlackMusic.com and that this was officially supported by Wikimedia UK.[3]

Wikimedia UK was alerted to these questions well in advance of the workshop. Why did you take no corrective action before the wokshop if the advertising by BritishBlackMusic.com falsely claimed a partnership with Wikimedia UK?

Wikimedia UK did not contact the local Wikimedian community in Ghana, a significant failure to use the opportunity to create positive relationships with the proto-chapter there, or to ask them for help to ensure that the money the UK chapter was spending was put to best use. Luckily, the local community took the initiative to coordinate their own attendance and response.[4] However there are serious questions about the UK charity's management and support of this workshop:

• "I'm not being jealous or envious here for the Wikimedia UK

'empowering' Kwaku, but the question is, on what basis was he given such a privilege? The less than 50 edits? Or because he's black-skinned and says verbally he comes from Ghana?"

• "Even after your asking, [no] email has *officially* come in from

[Wikimedia UK]. We're just negligible in their eyes."

As you have a personal interest in inter-chapter relations, you may wish to follow-up to ameliorate this damage to the reputation of the charity. As you took time to remind me 11 days ago, it is up to you what you wish to spend your time on.

[Adding wikimedia-gh as I have quoted statements on that public list in this email.]

Links:

https://wikimedia.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Water_cooler&diff=54401&o... 2. https://wikimedia.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Events&oldid=54679 3. http://web.archive.org/web/20140327135842/http://www.eventbrite.com/e/talkin... 4. http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-gh/2014-March/001510.html

Fae

faewik@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae

---

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