The First-Ever Central Asian WikiCon: A Historic Gathering in Tashkent

On April 19–20, the very first Central Asian WikiCon took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This historic event was organized by the Wikimedians of the Uzbek Language User Group with the generous support of the Wikimedia Foundation and dedicated Wikimedia volunteers. The conference brought together participants from nearly 20 Wikimedia affiliates across three continents, namely Asia, Europe, and North America. It was a truly international event, filled with energy, collaboration, and meaningful exchange.

Longtime Wikimedians had dreamed of holding a regional wiki conference in Central Asia for decades. The idea of hosting the inaugural event in Tashkent was born during conversations at Wikimania 2024. It was there that Aida Akhmedova, User:Darafsh, and User:Batyrbek.kz met and agreed that Tashkent would be the ideal location to kick off this long-awaited gathering. They reached out to our user group, and we eagerly agreed. From that moment on, we worked tirelessly to bring the vision to life.

The Core Organizing Team, made up of Aida Akhmedova, User:Darafsh, User:Красный, User:Artemev Nikolay, and myself, poured our hearts into making the conference a success. The Program Committee, which included User:Batyrbek.kz, User:Daria Cybulska (WMUK), User:Lvova, User:Mamatkazy, and User:Красный, dedicated significant time and effort to selecting the strongest submissions and curating a compelling program. Meanwhile, the Scholarship Committee worked diligently to ensure that the most deserving contributors received the support they needed to attend.

The conference had a significant impact, bringing together over 90 participants from across Central Asia, as reported by Uzbek state media. For many, it was their first experience attending a Wikimedia event. The sessions covered a range of topics, including Wikidata, Wikisource, Wikimedia Commons, and strategies for community growth and engagement. Participants gained valuable skills in editing, project collaboration, and understanding the broader Wikimedia ecosystem. Many left feeling energized and committed to increasing their contributions. One attendee remarked that there is a Central Asian community before the conference and another after it, highlighting how transformative the event was for regional collaboration and momentum.

Sessions were held in multiple languages, including English, Russian, and Uzbek, reflecting the diversity of our region and the movement. I was honored to co-present with User:Hasan Xamidovich in a session addressing the challenges posed by poor-quality machine translations on Wikipedia. User:Batyrbek.kz and User:Il Nur also contributed valuable insights from their own experiences confronting this issue.

As it was our first time organizing an event of this scale, we encountered many uncertainties. However, the enthusiasm and encouragement from the community motivated us throughout the process. The guidance and support from the Wikimedia Foundation were also instrumental in turning the conference into a memorable and meaningful event.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire COT and the Wikimedia Foundation for their unwavering support, as well as to all the volunteers who helped make this event a reality. Special thanks go to Diplomat International School and Principal Elena Kushner for generously hosting us, and to User:Kurmanbek for designing the beautiful visual materials that gave the conference its distinct identity. I hope this will be the first of many such events in the region, fostering even stronger collaboration and growth across Central Asia.