Porto Meeting 2025: a network for linguistic equity and open knowledge 

From May 21 to 25, Porto Meeting 2025 brought together representatives of minority language communities, Wikimedians, researchers, students, and local development advocates in Porto and Miranda do Douro, with a common goal: to strengthen minority languages through Wikimedia projects. 

The event, organized by Wikimedia Portugal, the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto, the Municipal Archive of Miranda do Douro, the Terra-Mater Museum, and Wikimedia Spain, combined technical sessions, workshops, academic presentations, and community activities. 

It was a space to connect open science, digital sovereignty, and linguistic justice, with the aim of consolidating an Iberian network that promotes the cultural and technological development of these languages within the Wikimedia ecosystem. 

Languages as common territory 

Wikimedia projects are not only a tool for sharing knowledge; they are also a space for resistance, preservation, and cultural reconstruction. 

From Galician to Mirandese, including Extremaduran, Asturian, Occitan, and Basque, many languages experience a structural disadvantage compared to dominant languages. The Porto Meeting asserted their value and their right to be present in the digital world. 

Antonio Gregorio Montes, Galipedia editor, summarized the spirit of the event like this: 

“As is often the case at Wikimedia meetups, the good vibes override the topic, while relationships are established that will hopefully bear fruit later. Each language and associated wiki is at a different stage, with different resources, but with the same desire to stay alive.” 

Antonio praised the exhibitions focused on linguistics, especially the documentation and appreciation of minority languages such as Mirandese and Galician. He highlighted the importance of tools such as Lingua Libre and Spell4Wiki in preserving linguistic diversity and underscored the key role of young people in projects such as Txikipedia. 

The move from Porto to Miranda do Douro marked a transition toward a more community-based approach, with informal exchanges and cultural celebrations that strengthened ties between participants, although no concrete collaborations have yet been defined, Antonio stated. 

Community, technology and culture: a powerful equation 

The meeting program offered workshops on Lingua Libre, lexemes in Wikidata, and projects like Txikipedia, as well as conversations on how to create spelling rules, as in the case of Mirandese. The more technical sessions were complemented by more open spaces for dialogue and activities that celebrated the language through everyday activities: dancing, singing, and walks through local heritage. 

Mentxu Ramilo, from Wikimedia Spain, highlighted: 

“It was very interesting to learn about the work in Ghana, the Mirandese lexicography project, and how tools like Wikidata and Abstract Wikipedia can help revitalize minority languages. The most important thing is to create an Iberian network of support and mutual learning.” 

Mentxu highlighted the wealth of learning from the Porto Meeting 2025. She was particularly moved to hear Tomás speak in Extremaduran, a young editor who uses Güiquipedia as a way to learn and revitalize this language. Furthermore, for her, creating an Iberian network of technical and community support is key for minority languages to find a solid place in the Wikimedia ecosystem. 

Carlos Silva, from Wikimedia Portugal, shared a very positive assessment as an organizer: 

“This year we have managed to establish real institutional ties with the Miranda community. Something we had attempted unsuccessfully over a decade ago. This time, this closeness bore fruit.” 

Carlos hailed Porto Meeting 2025 as a major step forward compared to the previous edition. He highlighted the variety of topics covered, from linguistic techniques to tools such as Lingua Libre and Wikidata lexemes, and the long-awaited participation of Hugo López of Wikimedia France. Furthermore, Friday’s roundtable discussion was particularly enriching because it featured more Wikimedia than academic representatives, he emphasized. 

In Miranda do Douro, a solid institutional connection with the Miranda community was established for the first time, after years of failed attempts. For Carlos, this close contact was key and marks the beginning of new collaborations. The upcoming Festival of Languages will be an opportunity to continue forging alliances between Iberian linguistic communities, he affirmed. 

A network that is being forged 

If Porto Meeting 2025 made one thing clear, it’s that linguistic and cultural revitalization isn’t achieved solely with digital tools, but with community and collaboration. Koldo Biguri, from the Basque Country, put it clearly: 

“It would be important for teachers who edit their Wikipedias to also attend these meetings. They are the ones who would most easily be encouraged to replicate projects like Txikipedia in other languages.” 

Koldo praised the educational work being done with Txikipedia, the youth version of Basque Wikipedia, promoted by schools through multidisciplinary projects. However, he regretted that this experience is not being replicated in other Wikipedias, possibly due to a lack of connection with teachers in the school setting. He proposed involving teachers who already edit as a way to expand the model. 

On the other hand, he noted that the session dedicated to collaboration between Iberian Wikipedias was brief and lacking in specifics, although he sees great potential for future synergies that he hopes will be resumed soon. 

And for those participating for the first time, like Tomás Antolín, a young editor of the Güiquipedia in Extremaduran, the experience was transformative: 

“This isn’t just about sitting in front of a screen. You can do a lot of things. We can help each other. That enriches us.” 

The meeting allowed him to see beyond editing Wikipedia: connecting with people, projects, and diverse realities that broaden the meaning of collective work. For Tomás, the key learning was that Wikimedia is also about community, mutual support, and shared enrichment. 

Daniel Gordo Rodríguez, from the Órgano de seguimiento del extremeño y su cultura (OSCEC), expressed his hope that more people like Tomás will emerge, using Güiquipedia to learn Extremaduran and document Extremaduran culture, something that is still difficult to achieve today. He emphasized that the Porto meeting was inspiring because it fostered community building beyond technology, integrating culture, music, and visits. 

Beyond the event: a long-term commitment 

The transition from Porto to Miranda do Douro marked a second, more relaxed phase of the meeting, where informal ideas and future collaborations flourished. Ana Afonso of Biquipedia concluded with a powerful reflection: 

“We speak, sing, and dance in Mirandese. This language, which centuries ago was excluded even from prayer, is now making a strong comeback. But meetings aren’t enough. We need to go to schools and universities, and bring more people to Wikipedia. We have to move forward.” 

Ana Afonso shared an emotional and symbolic look at Porto Meeting 2025, which coincided with the 480th anniversary of the institutionalization of Mirandese as a liturgical language. Although she values these meetings as spaces of inspiration and community, she cautioned that true linguistic revitalization requires reaching schools and universities, where the people with the tools to contribute to Wikipedia are. 

Likewise, Ana Salgado, from the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, highlighted how Porto Meeting 2025 demonstrated the value of collaboration between academic institutions, linguistic communities, and Wikimedia as a driving force for preserving and revitalizing minority languages. 

For her, the meeting was also an opportunity to delve deeper into Mirandese culture, especially with moments like the presentation by António Bárbolo Alves, who provided a literary perspective on the language. 

Porto Meeting 2025: one step further 

Wikimedia projects are based on the principle of linguistic diversity. They constitute a collective effort to facilitate access to information and knowledge in as many languages as possible. In addition to facilitating access to knowledge, they serve to protect minority or minoritized languages. 

Porto Meeting 2025 is another step—decisive, collective, and exciting—toward a more diverse Wikimedia, more equitable, and connected to the reality of the peoples who resist, create, and share in their own languages. 

Below is more information about this meeting: 

• Meeting photos: Wikimedia Commons 
• Video summary: YouTube | Commons 
• Group photo: See here 
• Full program: Meta-Wiki