On Tue, 3 Dec 2019 at 06:38, Gerard Meijssen gerard.meijssen@gmail.com wrote:
There is no attention from the community to get our data into Africa or Asia for that matter, what happened is all thanks to staff efforts.
In 2015, as a volunteer, I gave a keynote presentation on Wikidata's sue of authority control identifiers, at the World Digital Library's Arab Peninsula Regional Group conference in Doha
Also in 2015, I visited Tunis and Monastir, to speak as a volunteer at WikiArabia, which was attended by both African and Asian delegates. I also gave talks to university students, met with GLAM professionals, and was interviewed a national radio station.
In 2016, I spent several days, as a volunteer, training Wikimedia volunteers in Jakarta to edit Wikidata, as well as giving a talk on Wikidata to staff of a the education ministry, with which they collaborate.
In 2017, I visited Cairo, as a volunteer, to give a workshop on Wikidata at WikiArabia.
In 2018, I and several other volunteers spoke at a GLAM conference in Yerevan, and gave talks and training workshops for Wikimedia volunteers there.
Also in 2018, while in Cape Town for Wikimania, as a volunteer, I assisted at Wikidata workshop for South African librarians.
Near the end of 2018, I visited eastern Istanbul to give a guest lecture on Wikidata to students at Üsküdar University. And yes, I did so as a volunteer.
In 2019, I introduced academics from two South African Universities, whom I met in England, to volunteers from WMZA. They are now collaborating on introducing Wikimedia projects into further education in that country.
I maintain ongoing relationships and online collaborations with many of the African and Asian Wikimedians I met on my travels.
Your statement, made in ignorance of the facts, is offensive not only to me, but chiefly to the many other volunteers who are busy growing Wikidata in Africa and Asia, both as a result of my voluntary activities and otherwise.
-- Andy Mabbett @pigsonthewing http://pigsonthewing.org.uk