Wikimania is the annual conference of Wikimedia movement. This year it was held in Katowice, Poland, from August 7th to 10th 2024. This year’s theme was “Collaboration of the Open”. The event was organized by the Wikimedians of the Central and Eastern European Region (CEE) and took place at the Katowice International Conference Center.
A dream comes true
I was fortunate enough to attend this 19th annual conference, #Wikimania2024, thanks to CIS-A2K. It was my first Wikimania conference. One fine morning, Pavan, from CIS, called me and gave the news that I was selected for Wikimania2024, with full scholarship, on the basis of some points. He politely asked me if I was interested. I was on cloud 9 and thought there is no way anyone would not accept this offer!
Nitesh, Nivas and Pavan from CIS arranged all the required papers for visa and I obtained it without much hassle. On 5th August, three CIS Indian participants, me- the Bengali Wikimedian, Nayan from Assamese Wikipedia and Ramjit from Santhali Wikipedia met at New Delhi Indira Gandhi International airport for our first international journey to Katowice via Frankfurt. The total journey was more than twenty-four hours for us, but with how high spirits we were in; it went by in the wink of an eye.
Katowice at last
We reached Katowice on the 6th at about 5.30 pm local time. Our hotel was Mercure Katowice Centrum. At this point, we were dog-tired and hungry, but after checking in we went to see the Conference Center, gorged on some food and then roamed around for some time to see the life of Katowice. Along the way, we met with other Indian participants who were funded by the Wikimedia Foundation.
The Conference started on 7th, from 9 am with Wikimania 2024 Orientation, but we, the women, had WikiWomen Summit from 9 am at Voore hall. At 5.00 pm the Opening ceremony started. It was a gala extravaganza.
The next day, on 8th, I attended some sessions. At 5.30 pm I had an engagement with City walking tour with a local tour guide. We visited Nikiszowiec Settlement in Katowice, heard the story of coal mine laborers and saw some Bebok statues. All in all, it was a great experience.
On the third day, the 9th, there was the WikiWomen Lunch Meet up. We all had some great discussions. At 5.30 pm there was a guided tour of Silesian Museum. We enjoyed the tour knowing the rich history of Poland.
Soon, it was the last day. After some sessions there was closing ceremony at main hall. Group photos were taken by photographers and by a drone. Then we went to Katowice National Radio Symphony Orchestra for closing party. There was a Grand celebration there. After dinner all the enthusiasts danced to their fullest. And thus, the stay at Katowice came to an end.
A loving memory
These four days were a festival of collaboration of cultural diversity and a giant leap towards the sharing of free knowledge. My journey in Wikimedia, starting from a novice, shy and unconfident volunteer to a mature and much more confident human being, has given me lots of rewarding experiences. This Wikimania will remain one of my most precious and memorable experiences.
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