In September, Ghana participated in the Wiki Loves Monuments 2012 photo contest for the first time. Prior to the event, Planning Wikimedia Ghana (PWMGH) — which is working to organize a local Wikimedia chapter in the country — took to its social networking platforms and created a meta-wiki page to call for Ghanaian participation.
In all, 16 Ghanaian photographers uploaded 114 photos during the event. Participation could have been higher, but the contest succeeded in drawing attention to many abandoned national monuments, which are not as popular as Elmina Castle and others. A monument which is rarely photographed and often ignored in Ghana — Ussher Fort— was put in the spotlight when it was photographed for the competition.
Ten finalists have been selected by a jury comprised of three Wikimedians: Rexford Nkansah (PWMGH), Limoke Oscar (Wikimedia Kenya), and Sophie Österberg (Wikimedia Sweden). The top uploaded picture was by Sathyan Velumani, a designer and ethnographic researcher in New Delhi, India, who had visited Ghana and had taken pictures of monuments while he was in the country.
PWMGH hopes for higher participation next year and it is also aiming to use the period to also bring awareness of monuments wasting away due to lack of maintenance across Ghana.
For further information about Wiki Loves Monuments 2012, visit http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org, and be sure to view the top 10 finalists from Ghana.
Sandister Tei, Planning Wikimedia Ghana
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