Behind The Screen in Africa

The impact of the Wikimedia movement in Africa is massive and tangible! 

Behind the screen in Africa is part of a wider series which celebrates tireless Wikimedians who make free knowledge possible. It brings to the ‘screen’ stories from Africa with a simple aim of sharing, honoring and celebrating impact. The series also aims to take forward the Wikimedia Foundation’s Annual Plan for 2022-23 and the movement strategy goal of Knowledge Equity. The annual plan talks about Advancing Knowledge Equity through a Stronger Regional Focus and this series celebrates regional impact in particular. 

One of the major impact stories from Africa, which cuts across the vast continent is Skills and Leadership Development. This is an area where the movement in Africa has made great strides. 

A majority of communities in Africa prioritized Skills and Leadership Development, which is one one of the 9 movement strategy recommendations that emerged during the Movement Strategy prioritization discussions in 2019. Behind the Screen in Africa, celebrates the impact made by the movement in the region while at the same time amplifying the importance of these thematic areas for communities in the region.

According to Bobby Shabangu, who is the current president of Wikimedia South Africa, skills and leadership development is very important for African communities “because it ensures that the correct skills are imparted to new wikimedians, which ensures growth and sustainability of the movement.”

As Euphemia Uwandu, Co-Founder Wiki Vibrance notes, “Young people are joining the movement and gaining massive skills”. These skills range from administrative, organizing, communications and leadership and cut across both emerging and established communities in the region.

Ronald Romeo, Wikimedia Community South Sudan says “Considering that we are a fairly new community, it’s been really important for us to be guided on the steps to take and personally it gives me so much confidence to know that I am not alone.”

Watch the full video here to see Africa – Behind The Screen!

Subtitles are available in French and Swahili