Using Wikipedia as a Tool for Climate Action

Did you know that Africa, home to a billion-plus people, contributes a mere 8% to global waste? Yet, the continent bears the brunt of climate change’s wrath. To change this narrative, Walewale Wiki Hub and Tamale Wiki Hub (led by Christian Yakubu and Abdul Rahim Ziblim) join the #WikiforhumanRights 2024 campaign on the theme #KnowledgeforSustainableFuture. As part of the campaign, we hosted a launch event on the 15th of June 2024 to introduce our communities to the campaign and outline activities. A recording can be found here (Google Drive link)

Ruby Damenshie-Brown, the WikiforHumanRights African coordinator, highlighted a glaring issue: Wikipedia’s underrepresentation of Africa. Our continent’s stories, especially those about our environment, are often overlooked. This knowledge gap is a missed opportunity to raise awareness and inspire action.

Let’s flood Wikipedia with African climate stories! By translating and creating articles, uploading images, videos, and audio on Wikimedia Commons, we can vividly showcase the impact of climate change on our communities. ‘’Remember, every piece of content on Wikipedia has the potential to reach a global audience of millions in over 300 languages!’’-Ruby Dameshie-Brown

Wikimedian Stephen Dakyi emphasized the importance of contributing to our local Wikipedia platforms. By sharing information in our native languages, we can empower communities to understand and address climate challenges. He also took participants through practical editing and how to use the translation tool on Wikipedia to translate content in our indigenous language.

It’s time to rewrite Africa’s climate story. Let’s use Wikipedia to amplify our voices, inspire change, and build a sustainable future.

#ClimateAction #Wikipedia #Africa #EnvironmentalAwareness #WikiForHumanRight2024 #KnowledgeforSustainableFuture