Hallo from Bangalore - I thought I'd introduce myself, and tell you a
little about what's happening with chapters at Wikimedia now. I've been
doing formal and informal work with Wikipedia and the Wikimedia
Foundation for some time now, and like you, my main motivation is that I
enjoy it. There are 29 Wikimedia chapters in existence, with more than
30 others in some stage of planning. Overwhelmingly, these chapters are
in developed countries, the north, and their existence mirrors the skew
in editorship (and readership): overall, it's safe to say that countries
with chapters are also the predominant bases of users/readers/editors of
Wikipedia and sister projects.
The point, I guess, is that any kind of organised activity around
Wikimedia projects results in people from that region engaging more.
Chapters are one kind of organised activity, and currently, the only
means of formal affiliation with the Wikimedia Foundation. To the extent
that more countries from the south engage with Wikimedia, the resulting
knowledge on Wikimedia gets to look more and more proportionate to the
world. Currently, despite the rich variety of languages spoken in (let's
say) India and South Africa, there is less than perfect representation
of them on Wikipedia, not to mention less than proportionate edits from
English speakers in India and South Africa on pages relating to any
topic on Wikipedia.
The opportunity then, is to write oneself in to the world in any
language, including English, and also contribute beyond geographically
topical subjects.
In terms of activities that the proposed South African Wikimedia chapter
(and indeed any member of the Wikimedia community from South Africa) can
engage in, the possibilities are literally limitless. Wikimedia Commons
is a repository that can be contributed to by photographing significant
aspects of South African life; subjects close to heart (South African or
otherwise) can be combed and improved by university professors and
students; aspects of popular culture can be explored in the many
official South African languages; dictionaries of South African
languages can be built; etc. etc. There are many good places to connect
to what others have done, and being in a chapter provides some access to
these initiatives. Foundation-l
(
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l) is another
good place to look; especially the archives.
I really look forward to meeting some or all of you in August and before
- and the chapters committee, who will send representation to the
meeting, is equally excited about helping this process. Nhlanhla Mabaso
from Wits, a leader in the free software and free culture movements has
many ideas to share with you, and the TACP
(
http://www.africancommons.org/) has wide experience in the area, and
could be a valuable ally as Wikimedia South Africa goes forward.
Warm wishes,
Achal