The Wikimedians of Ethiopia User Group community discussion on organizing Wiki Loves Folklore 2025, the first international Wikimedia campaign in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a land of extraordinary stories, vibrant traditions, and rich cultural heritage. Yet, much of this wealth remains undocumented and underrepresented in freely accessible online platforms. To address this, the Wikimedians of Ethiopia User Group is gearing up for Wiki Loves Folklore 2025, a project that promises to showcase and celebrate the diverse folklore of Ethiopia on Wikimedia Commons and beyond through a photography contest. Recently, we held a community discussion online to shape the goals and strategies for this exciting project, here are the key takeaways

The Significance of Documenting Ethiopian Folklore

Ethiopia’s folklore is as vast as its history, stretching back thousands of years. From the haunting melodies of traditional songs to the intricate weaves of ceremonial garments, Ethiopia’s cultural expressions deserve recognition and preservation.

However, despite its global cultural significance, there is a noticeable lack of freely available, documented resources about Ethiopian folklore. This initiative seeks to address this gap, ensuring that Ethiopia’s stories are not only preserved but also shared with the world in an open and collaborative space.

Building Partnerships with Cultural Institutions

Central to this initiative is our commitment to collaborate with Ethiopian cultural institutions. These institutions house invaluable artifacts, oral histories, and cultural knowledge, much of which remains inaccessible to the wider public. By working together, we aim to:

• Digitize and share the wealth of data these institutions hold.
• Create a bridge between institutional knowledge and Wikimedia Commons, ensuring Ethiopia’s folklore is documented and preserved for future generations.

Recently we came across The Ethiofolk Project, a project run by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Research Center for the Humanities, Institute of Musicology,  that transferred invaluable recordings of Ethiopia in the 1960s to the digital sphere. We’ve reached out to the institute in hopes of securing a collaboration to transfer some of these recordings to Wikicommons on their behalf.

Empowering Communities through Training

To ensure the success of this campaign, we’ve outlined clear roles for our community members. This includes organizing and leading two key training programs:

1. Wikimedia Commons Training
   This training will equip participants with the skills to upload, categorize, and license media files under Creative Commons. By empowering our members, we can extend these skills to wider communities and inspire more people to contribute.
2. Mobile Photography Training
   Recognizing that not everyone has access to professional cameras, we will offer training on taking high-quality photographs using mobile phones. This inclusive approach ensures that anyone, regardless of resources, can actively participate in documenting Ethiopia’s rich traditions.

Fostering Collaboration Beyond Wikimedia

These trainings and activities are designed not only to engage current Wikimedia contributors but also to inspire people outside of the Wikimedia community. Our goal is to create a ripple effect, where participants initiate others into the campaign and extend the preservation efforts to communities and institutions across the country

(Want to get involved? Visit our community meta page and follow our journey!)