Amplifying Africa: The Africa Wiki Challenge 2024

This year marks a milestone: the fourth edition of the Africa Wiki Challenge (AWC). It’s a celebration of another step forward in our journey to spotlight Africa in the vast online information space. As we embrace the digital age, we invite participants from across the continent to join us in this initiative. Together, we aim to expand and enrich the knowledge about Africa across the web, with a special focus on Wikimedia and its sister projects.

Africa, a continent abundant in diverse cultures, histories, and resources, frequently fails to garner the attention it merits in the digital domain, despite its wealth. Compared to other continents, Africa’s online presence, especially on platforms like Wikipedia, is not as robust. In April 2024, African content comprised merely 2.69% of the total 4,815,057 articles on Wikipedia. Presently, African contributors constitute only 1.91% of the 185,723 active contributors across the platform. Many of Africa’s stories either go untold or are inaccurately portrayed. This begs the question: Who will share our story if we don’t?

To confront this challenge head-on, Open Foundation West Africa initiated the Africa Wiki Challenge (AWC) in 2021. Aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 flagship Encyclopedia Africana, AWC has engaged over 30 nations, including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and more. Additionally, Africans in the diaspora have contributed to this collaborative endeavor. This has resulted in the engagement of 891 editors, the development of 158,117 new articles, and 9,952 edits on already-existing articles. The Africa Wiki Challenge presents a unique opportunity to bridge the content gap about Africa on the web, with Wikipedia as our primary target, given its status as one of the most visited online encyclopedias.

With continued support from the African Union, this year’s Africa Wiki Challenge is themed “Educate Africa: Nurturing Minds for the 21st Century.” This theme aligns with the African Union Day theme for this year, “The Year of Education – Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century,”.

The chosen theme not only highlights Africa’s educational system but also serves as an inspiration to document our own story. Submissions for the challenge will encompass individuals, structures, activities, stories, and other elements that contribute to Africa’s rich cultural tapestry. The contest will run from May 25th to June 30th, 2024.

How can you participate? It’s simple:

1. Writing and Improving Articles: Participants can contribute by writing new articles or improving existing ones related to Africa on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Every edit counts towards amplifying Africa’s presence online.
2. Photo Uploads: Alongside written content, participants can also contribute by uploading photos that accurately depict African culture, landmarks, and people.

Visit the campaign’s landing page to register your participation and find more details about the challenge. Additionally, join the AWC Participant Telegram page for interactions and important updates and link to join the virtual office hours.

By participating in the Africa Wiki Challenge, you not only contribute to the collective effort of telling Africa’s story but also stand a chance to win amazing prizes. The winner will receive a cash prize of GHC10,000! There are other exciting awards for the runners up. In order to encourage female participation there’s a special award for the top female contributor so let’s go ladies!

Let’s come together to tell the African story and bridge the content gap about Africa on the web. Join us in the Africa Wiki Challenge 2024 and be a part of this transformative journey. Together, we can make a difference.