Bridging Cultures Through the Lens: A Collaborative Celebration of Wikimixtura & Wiki Loves Mangaluru

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I (user:Carlillasa) left Wikimania 2024 with many things, including a couple of postcards from a photography contest I had never heard of: Wiki Loves Mangaluru. Back in Bolivia, I wanted to learn more about this initiative and was pleasantly surprised to discover that Wiki Loves Mangaluru is quite similar to Wikimixtura.

What do both contests share?

Wikimixtura is a series of contests organized by Wikimedistas de Bolivia to enrich content about Bolivia’s living culture on Wikipedia and its sister projects. Over two years, the Wikimixtura contests have covered aspects of Bolivian culture that are underrepresented in the wiki projects, such as traditional dances, local cuisine, funeral rites, and crafts, among others. Wiki Loves Mangaluru, on the other hand, is a contest organized by several Wikimedians from India aimed at enhancing content about the city of Mangaluru, located in the southwestern part of the country. The contest categories include: Nature in and around the city; Cultural and religious events; Local sports and cuisine; Monuments, streets, buildings.

As Wikimedistas de Bolivia we believe that both initiatives share a common motivation: to represent the richness and cultural diversity that we experience daily in our countries, which often don’t make it into the world’s most visited encyclopedia. With this in mind, we reached out to Santhosh Notagar, the coordinator of Wiki Loves Mangaluru, to invite him to be a judge for the latest edition of Wikimixtura: Bolivian crafts.

This version of Wikimixtura centered on Bolivian handicrafts, highlighting the rich craftsmanship that is vital to Bolivia’s economic and cultural landscape. This role involved reviewing a remarkable collection of photos submitted by participants from across Bolivia, each image reflecting the essence and artistry of Bolivian crafts. Utilizing the judging platform primarily used for Wikimedia Commons competitions, known as Montage, we shortlisted the best entries in each round. The selection process was not only insightful and inspiring but also fostered deep engagement with each other’s cultures, revealing similarities through cultural exchange as I explored the visual narratives of another culture’s artistic expressions.

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In an exciting cross-cultural exchange, I (User:Santhosh Notagar) recently had the honor of collaborating with the Bolivian Wikimedians User Group. This opportunity arose after Carla, a member of the group who attended Wikimania in Katowice, reached out to me. Inspired by the postcards from Wiki Loves Mangaluru that she collected, Carla invited me to serve as a jury member for their contest, Wikimixtura, which celebrates the living culture of Bolivia through vibrant photography. I extended the invitation to Gopala (User:Gopala Krishna A), a fellow juror from Wiki Loves Mangaluru, to join me on the jury. He accepted with pleasure.

Participating as a juror for Wikimixtura was both a pleasure and a learning experience. It provided a deeper appreciation for how photography can serve as a bridge between cultures, much like our own Wiki Loves Mangaluru competition.

One of the awarded pictures from Wikimixtura Bolivian crafts, depicting Bolivian chola dolls and traditional textiles.

We were able to share information about our cultures via an online meeting following the conclusion of the Wikimixtura event. We discussed the local artistry and unique elements of Mangaluru, across Karnataka and Bolivia, and it became evident how both communities cherish their culture, and crafts, reflecting similar values around heritage.

We are excited to embark on a dynamic collaboration between the Bolivian and Mangaluru Wikimedia communities! The incredible similarities between our cultures—rich embroideries woven with traditional craftsmanship, artistic expression, and vibrant color patterns—were brought to light by our engrossing conversation.

We anticipate a wide range of projects that highlight our common past, going beyond picture competitions. In order to promote knowledge exchanges where community members from both cities share expertise in documenting cultural traditions, we are excited to co-create and contribute to Wikimedia platforms.

Through these efforts, we will acknowledge the diversity that brings us together, create meaningful connections, and enhance Wikimedia’s cultural content. Join with us as we work to close the gap between Bolivia and Mangaluru and promote respect for our distinctive cultural assets on a global scale!

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