Wiki Loves Folklore in Nigeria and Wiki Loves in Africa Nigeria 2024: The Announcement Ceremony

On June 22, 2024, the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria hosted a virtual ceremony to celebrate the achievements of Nigerian contributors to the Wiki Loves Africa 2024 and Wiki Loves Folklore 2024 campaigns. This event marked a significant milestone in promoting Nigerian culture and heritage on Wikimedia projects.

The ceremony brought together Wikimedia enthusiasts, photographers, and culture enthusiasts from across Nigeria, showcasing the country’s rich cultural diversity and creative talent. The event highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts in documenting and sharing Nigeria’s cultural heritage with a global audience.

Wiki Loves Africa

Wiki Loves Africa is an annual contest where individuals across Africa can contribute media related to the theme of the year to Wikimedia Commons for use on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. This year’s theme was “Africa Creates,” which aimed to showcase the creative and cultural aspects of Africa. The contest was held from March 1 to April 30, 2024, and received an overwhelming response from Nigeria, with:

• 3,021 images submitted
• 182 registered participants
• 76 new users joining the contest

Jury Process

The Wiki Loves Africa in Nigeria 2024 jury process commenced on May 17, 2024, and spanned two weeks. A panel of 8 professional photographers and experts from Nigeria, renowned for their attention to detail, constituted the jury. The montage tool was used for the jury process which consisted of three rounds:

• Round 1 (Yes/No): Each juror reviewed 290 images, making decisions on which ones to advance. This round focused on removing images that didn’t align with the contest scope.
• Round 2 (Rating): The second round presented 188 images to each juror for evaluation, rating them from 1 to 5 stars. 5 stars for exceptional images that strongly align with the theme, 4 stars for good images within the theme, and 3-1 stars for Images ranked according to the juror’s discretion.
• Round 3 (Ranking): The jurors assessed the top 20 images and ranked them from top 1 to 20. After this round, the jury engaged in deliberations, which led to the final conclusions.

Meet the Jury

Winning Images

Wiki Loves Africa Nigeria 2024 Top 10 Images:

Wiki Loves Africa Nigeria 2024 3rd Place:

Wiki Loves Africa Nigeria 2024 2nd Place:

Wiki Loves Africa Nigeria 2024 1st Place:

Wiki Loves Folklore

Wiki Loves Folklore is an international photographic competition that celebrates cultural diversity worldwide through Wikimedia projects. This year’s contest was held from February 1 to March 31, 2024, and encouraged individuals to share photos showcasing Nigerian culture, folklore, and storytelling. The contest saw:

• 819 images submitted
• 55 registered participants
• 21 new users joining the contest

Jury Process

The Wiki Loves Folklore in Nigeria 2024 jury process commenced on May 17, 2024, and spanned two weeks. A panel of 7 professional photographers from Nigeria, renowned for their attention to detail, constituted the jury. The montage tool facilitated the entire process, which consisted of three rounds:

• Round 1 (Yes/No): This initial round focused on removing images that didn’t align with the contest scope. Each juror reviewed 118 images, making decisions on which ones to advance.
• Round 2 (Rating): In this round, each juror assessed 49 images, rating them from 1 to 5 stars. 5 stars for exceptional images that strongly aligned with the theme, 4 stars for good images within the theme, and 3-1 stars for Images ranked according to the juror’s discretion.
• Round 3 (Ranking): The jurors ranked their top images from 1 to 14. After this round, the jury engaged in deliberations, leading to the final conclusions.

Meet the Jury

Winning Images

Wiki Loves Folklore Nigeria 2024 Top 10 Images:

Wiki Loves Folklore Nigeria 2024 3rd Place:

Wiki Loves Folklore Nigeria 2024 2nd Place:

Wiki Loves Folklore Nigeria 2024 1st Place:

Announcement Ceremony

The Wikimedia User Group Nigeria hosted a virtual ceremony on June 22, 2024, to celebrate the outstanding contributions of Nigerians to the Wiki Loves Africa and Wiki Loves Folklore campaigns. The event was moderated by Barakat Adegboye and featured insightful keynote addresses from Suyash Dwivedi, Wilson Oluoha (represented by Ogali Hillary), and Tiven.

The ceremony commenced with a warm welcome by Ayokanmi Oyeyemi, WUGN Programs Director, who outlined the session’s objectives. Suyash Dwivedi, Chairman of the Wikimedia Commons Photographers User Group, then gave his keynote speech which emphasized the significance of photographer contributions to Wikimedia projects, highlighting their impact on cultural preservation and sharing.

The Wiki Loves Africa award session followed, with Wilson Oluoha, International Organizer of Wiki Loves Africa’s representative, Ogali Hillary, providing an overview of the campaign’s success and Nigerian contributions. After that, Barakat Adegboye announced the winners, from third to first place, and invited them to share their inspiring stories and remarks. To round up the WLA award session, Oludare Kehinde and Blaize Itodo, jury representatives, shared their experiences and the technicalities of the jury process.

The Wiki Loves Folklore award session began with Tiven, International Organizer of Wiki Loves Folklore’s keynote speech, emphasizing the campaign’s goals and the importance of continued participation. This was followed by the announcement of the winners Wiki Loves Folklore Nigeria 2024 winners by Barakat Adegboye who also invited the winners to share their experiences and inspirations. To round up this session, Gaspard Linouenou Koutchika and Enoch Olaonipekun, Wiki Loves Folklore Nigeria 2024 jury representatives, provided valuable insights into the jury process.

Dappasolomon001 receiving his certificates of award presented by Olusola Olaniyan (WUGN Chairman) and Ayokanmi Oyeyemi (WUGN Programs Director) for emerging as the winner of the the Wiki Loves Africa in Nigeria 2024 and Wiki Loves Folklore in Nigeria 2024, at the WUGN’s office in Lagos

After the awards sessions, Rhoda James briefly announced the ongoing Wiki Loves Earth campaign, encouraging participation from photographers and Wikimedians across Nigeria. The announcement ceremony was rounded up by Olusola Olaniyan, WUGN Chairman, who delivered closing remarks, expressing gratitude to all participants and contributors. The ceremony successfully celebrated Nigerian creativity and cultural diversity, inspiring future contributions to Wikimedia projects.

Conclusion

The Wiki Loves Folklore and Wiki Loves Africa campaigns in Nigeria 2024 have been a resounding success, showcasing the country’s rich cultural diversity and creative talent. The impressive participation and engagement demonstrated the power of collaborative efforts in documenting and sharing Nigeria’s cultural heritage with a global audience.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants, whose contributions have enriched Wikimedia projects with unique perspectives and insights into Nigerian culture. We appreciate the dedication and expertise of the jury members, who tirelessly evaluated entries and provided valuable feedback.

Our sincere thanks also go to the guests, including Suyash Dwivedi, Wilson Oluoha, Ogali Hillary, and Tiven, whose keynote addresses inspired and motivated us. We appreciate the support of the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria, whose efforts made this event possible.

As we celebrate this success, we look forward to future collaborations and continued contributions to Wikimedia projects. We encourage everyone to keep sharing their knowledge, experiences, and creativity, ensuring that Nigerian culture and heritage continue to thrive on the global stage. Together, let’s keep building a repository of knowledge that showcases the best of Nigeria and Africa.