[Foundation-l] [Wikimania-l] Wikimania 2008 will happen in Alexandria, Egypt

[Ray Saintonge]

GerardM wrote:
> Hoi,
> Make a distinction. I have never seen a "confederate flag" at any of the
> Wikimanias. So at the event everyone is very much welcome. The aim of a
> Wikimania is to bring people from all over the world together to talk wiki,
> wiki in any shape or form. It is a Wikimedia Foundation event so it is very
> much MediaWiki and WMF projects that is on the agenda.
>   
The confederate flag issue is meaningless to most of us who do not live 
in the USA.
> Yes, it is best if everyone feels comfortable in coming to a Wikimania. When
> Wikimania goes to the Middle East, it has not gone to Africa proper. When
> Anthere says in her speech that Africa should be on our agenda, it is a step
> towards Africa. We do not talk explicitly about many things. The reason is
> imho simple; it is not what we are there for. This is what others deal with.
>   
The difficulty with a Wikimania in "Africa proper" could be the lack of 
high-speed internet.  My observation from previous Wikimanias is that a 
significant portion of Wikipedians wander about wedded to their 
laptops.  Imagine the neurotic behaviour of all these Wikipedians pacing 
the floor when they are unable to access The Net. :'(

Ec