Launch of Africa Wiki Challenge 2022

Culture is an integral part of every community, region, country, continent, etc. Africans are defined by our unique cultural ways. Each country in the African continent is made up of groups of people who have distinctively beautiful cultures. However, the continent’s representation on the web is rather disheartening.

Are you African? Are you interested in surfing the internet for detailed information about Africa? I bet you are malcontent about how Africa is being projected on the web, specifically Wikipedia. In commemoration with the African Union Day which seeks to promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its people, the second edition of the Africa Wiki Challenge writing contest, sought to bridge the content gap in Africa on the web. The theme for this year is “Projecting African Culture”

Join us virtually for the official launch of the contest live on the 27th of May 2022 at 12: 00 UTC for more information on the contest and how exactly you can participate to change the narrative of Africa on Wikipedia. 

The launch calls on editors in and outside the African continent to contribute, write and improve the content on Wikipedia surrounding the theme. The campaign will run from 27th May to 30th June 2022. The launch intends to highlight the need for projecting Africa’s Culture on the internet and how easy people can have access to articles related to the theme.

Join the Launch!

You can help increase African Content by joining this year’s Launch and contest. On Friday 27th May 2022, we invite you to join the live event which will mark the launch of this year’s Africa Wiki Challenge campaign.

The launch will host guest speakers who will speak on various elements around the theme for the contest. Dr. Phiwokuhle Mnyandu, an African Studies Lecturer at Howard University, USA), Professor Kodzo Gavua, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Alice KIbombo, a Librarian and a member of the Wikipedia community in Uganda, Lein Tetteh a Project Officer at the Ghana Tourism Development Company. 

Join the Writing Contest

We are calling on African Wikimedians all over the world to join this year’s challenge. The challenge is aimed at bridging the content gap about the diverse people in Africa, and their way of life.  Interested persons can be participants of the challenge by signing up here and the campaign dashboard.

Join Community Events

You can also join the contest locally within the Wikipedia community in your country via the provided Community Event timelines   provided on the meta page. As part of the campaign, there will be a number of training sessions to help participants during the contest. Also, there will be Office hours sessions where participants will be taught new things to aid them in the contest.

Read more about the contest on Meta.

Follow us on; Facebook: OFWAFRICA | Twitter: @OFWAFRICA | Instagram: @OFWAFRICA | LinkedIn: Open Foundation West Africa for more details and updates about the contest.