Celebrating Nigeria’s Indigenous Identity on Wikimedia: The Wiki Naija Names Project

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Names are the passwords of our heritage; they open doors to history, culture, and identity.” —Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Nigeria, a nation with over 250 ethnic groups, boasts a wealth of indigenous languages, each carrying unique cultures and histories. However, many of these languages face the threat of extinction. The Wiki Naija Names project, held from 01/10/2024 to 15/12/2024, is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at preserving and promoting the linguistic diversity and cultural richness of Nigeria through the Wikimedia platform.

This campaign sought to address the gap in knowledge about Nigerian indigenous names by creating and sharing content about their meanings, pronunciations, and cultural significance. The initiative underscores the importance of accurately representing Nigerian identities in the digital space while fostering inclusivity and equity. By celebrating Nigeria’s indigenous identity on Wikimedia, the project bridges cultural divides, fosters harmony, and ensures future generations have access to accurate information about Nigerian names and cultures.

Project Activities and Highlights

Mobilization and Sensitization: The project actively language enthusiasts, who are passionate about Nigerian languages, culture, and heritage. These efforts aimed to create a ripple effect, with trained participants raising awareness and promoting Nigerian native names across various Wikimedia projects.

Training and Recruitment: A total of 146 participants, comprising 23 new editors from the Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igala Wikimedia communities in Nigeria, were recruited for the campaign. Training was tailored to equip participants with the skills to contribute effectively to Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons. Key activities included:

  • Guiding participants through creating Wikipedia and Wikidata accounts.
  • Educating participants on core content policies and general editing principles.
  • Training participants to create new items and improve existing ones on Wikidata.
  • Instructing participants on creating and enhancing articles on Wikipedia.
  • Teaching participants how to record pronunciations of Nigerian names and upload these audios to Wikimedia Commons.

Virtual Launch and Wikipedia Training: The Wiki Naija Names project officially launched on October 4, 2024, with a virtual session attended by over 60 participants from across Nigeria. The event included a comprehensive onboarding session, training participants to navigate the campaign event page, timelines, and guidelines. Over two days of training, participants learned about creating and improving articles about indigenous Nigerian names on Wikipedia. Key topics covered included creating infoboxes, adding citations, wikilinks, and uploading media files.

Wikidata Training: On October 19, 2024, about 40 participants joined a dedicated training session on contributing to Wikidata. Facilitated by Rhoda James, the training introduced participants to Wikidata’s structure, principles, and tools, equipping them to add or improve items related to Nigerian names. Hands-on demonstrations allowed participants to practice both minor and major edits.

Wikimedia Commons Training: On November 1 and 2, 2024, participants were trained to record and upload pronunciation audios of Nigerian names. Romeo Lomora led the sessions, introducing tools like Audacity and guiding participants on creating high-quality recordings, editing them, and uploading them to Wikimedia Commons. The second day focused on integrating these recordings into Wikipedia articles.

Edit-a-thons and Data-a-thons: Participants engaged in edit-a-thons and data-a-thons to improve the representation of Nigerian indigenous names. Edit-a-thons focused on performing both minor edits (adding citations, wikilinks, categories, infoboxes, and descriptions) and major edits on Wikipedia articles. Data-a-thons aimed to identify gaps in data on Nigerian names, train participants to run queries, and improve or create items on Wikidata. Weekly reimbursements and prizes for top contributors motivated participation throughout the campaign.

Outcomes and Impact

The Wiki Naija Names campaign achieved remarkable results:

Wikipedia Articles: The number of Wikipedia articles about Nigerian names increased significantly:

Wikidata Items: 425 Wikidata items were created, enriching the database with structured information on Nigerian names.

Audio Pronunciations: 1,037 pronunciation audios were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, ensuring accurate representations of Nigerian names.

Also, a total of 146 participants registered for the campaign through the Event Meta Page and 143 registered on the dashboard.

Challenges and Solutions

One major challenge was the lack of reliable sources documenting indigenous Nigerian names. This led to some poorly referenced articles. To address this, the team paused contributions for two weeks to correct errors and worked closely with Wikipedia administrators to clean up the content.

Conclusion

The Wiki Naija Names project successfully enhanced the visibility of Nigeria’s indigenous identity on Wikimedia platforms, making a significant contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage. By creating and improving 251 articles, creating 425 Wikidata items, and uploading 1,037 pronunciation audios, the project has provided a foundation for continued efforts in promoting Nigerian languages and cultures.

Although the campaign has ended, the resources and materials developed during the project remain available on the Meta Page for future reference. Together, we can continue to celebrate and preserve Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage.

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