Reflections from the Wiki Women’s Lunch at Wiki Indaba 2024: Building a Stronger and Inclusive Movement Together

At this year’s Wiki Indaba in South Africa, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the African Wikimedians regional conference, we hosted a WikiWomen lunch event. This gathering marked a special moment of unity and shared purpose among African women within the Wikimedia movement. The Wiki Women’s Lunch event served as a platform for open conversation about the challenges African women in the Wikimedia movement faced and how we can work together to build a more inclusive and supportive space for everyone. The mini-lunch event took place on 5th October 2025 in the Ubuntu room and was attended by 25 participants from various countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana,  Latin America, among others. The session was facilitated by Ruby D-Brown from Ghana, cofounder for Africa Wiki Women.

Opening the Floor for contributions from participants

The lunch began with a warm introduction by Masana Mulaudzi, who is currently a senior manager in the Wikimedia Foundation. Masana provided an overview of how the  Wiki Women Collective came about. The goal, she emphasized, was to create a safe space for women and nonbinary individuals within the Wikimedia ecosystem. She then went on to introduce Bridgit Kurgat as the gender lead, who would  be working closely with the community to ensure that the voices and needs can be addressed collaboratively. Masana, before she went back to her seat, emphasised the need for more collaboration, more voices, and more feedback, especially now that we have the gender lead, the first of its kind in our movement. 

After the inspiring introduction by Masana, the floor was opened for discussion. Participants eagerly shared their thoughts, concerns, and ideas. From these conversations, several key themes emerged, all focused on creating a more inclusive, supportive environment for women in the Wikimedia movement. Amongst the topics raised included:

The Need for the WikiWomen Task force to Work with Existing Groups

The Need for the WikiWomen Task force to Work with Existing GroupsOne of the first topics raised was the importance for the WikiWomen task force to work with existing. An example was raised about the fact that groups that are not necessarily gender-focused may have gender groups like in the case of the Dagbani Usergroup, which currently has a women’s wing that holds contests specifically for women, as was mentioned by one of the participants. That wing of the user group allows women to compete on a level playing field, especially in contexts where cultural and gender roles often limit women’s participation contributions, which obviously do not match up with their male counterparts. Participants shared their belief that every user group should have a similar women’s wing to encourage and motivate women to contribute more actively.

Addressing the Visibility Gap and Cultural Barriers

In addition, the challenge of documenting articles about women and queer individuals on Wikipedia was brought up. Participants discussed how difficult it can be to navigate these topics and how important it is to create a more inclusive and respectful space for writing about these communities. Images were suggested to be a great starting point to increase representation without facing opposition, and that is what the Visible Wiki Women campaign aimed at. 

Inclusion for People with Disabilities

As the discussion continued, the need for greater inclusion of people with disabilities was raised. How could we ensure that people with disabilities, including those who are hard of hearing, have access to the same resources and opportunities in the Wikimedia space? This point sparked a conversation about how we can make Wikimedia more accessible and supportive for everyone.

Changing the Culture of the Movement

A crucial question that emerged was: How do we change the culture of the Wikimedia movement to make it more inclusive? This question was paired with an important suggestion: Do we need to mandate care training for admins to ensure that Wikimedia spaces are safe for everyone? The discussion pointed to the importance of creating “safe landing spaces” where people, especially women, can find refuge and support. Some even shared the idea of creating spaces similar to the Wiki Feminista Telegram group, where women come together to discuss their challenges, share resources, and support each other.

The Technical Gender Gap and Safe Spaces

Another critical issue was the technical gender gap. In technical spaces, like Wikimedia Hackathons, the representation of women is still significantly low. One participant suggested the idea of having monthly or quarterly open spaces where women could voice their concerns, share experiences, and brainstorm solutions to overcome the barriers that keep women from participating in technical areas.

Rethinking the Top 3 Award Model

One particularly thought-provoking point raised was the need to rethink the Top 3 award model. This model often fails to recognize the unique challenges that women face, such as gendered expectations around care work and household responsibilities. 

Gender organizing is not same as Feminist organizing

Another point that was raised was  the fact that organizing around gender lines doesn’t always align with feminist principles. How is the WikiWomen approaching gender and feminist organizing, considering the intersections of various identities, and what strategies are being developed to create safe, inclusive spaces for all individuals?

Addressing Care Work and Gender Expectations

Another topic of discussion was the issue of care work, particularly unpaid childcare during events like editathons. Many women juggle multiple jobs and household responsibilities, making it difficult to find time for Wikimedia-related activities. This raised an important question: Who should be responsible for supporting care work, such as providing childcare at events? Should it fall on Wikimedia affiliates, or is it the responsibility of a coalition of organizations to provide structural and systemic support? These questions prompted us to reconsider how we organize events, editathons, and other Wikimedia gatherings, ensuring they are inclusively structured to allow women to fully participate without the added burden of unpaid care work.

Creating Inclusive Leadership Spaces

A point was raised as to how women may face challenges of navigating Wikimedia spaces as leaders. There’s a need for more spaces where women can not only gain empowerment but also develop critical skills, like applying for grants or leading campaign initiatives. 

Conclusion: Building a Stronger, More Inclusive Movement

The Wiki Women’s Lunch ended successfully. The conversations, ideas, and recommendations shared during the lunch will continue to shape the future of the Wiki Women Collective and the Wikimedia movement as a whole. 

Key Questions Raised

• How can we change the culture of the Wikimedia movement to be more inclusive?
• Do we need to mandate care training for admins?
• Who is responsible for care work during events like editathons?
• How do we ensure that Wikimedia spaces are safe and accessible for women and people with disabilities?

Recommendations Moving Forward

• Create more safe spaces for women to voice their challenges and share solutions.
• Increase the representation of women in technical spaces through open, regular forums.
• Rethink the Top 3 award model to better address the unique challenges women face.
• Strengthen collaborations with local user groups and other gender-focused initiatives like Women in Red and Let’s Connect.
• Provide structural support for care work, including childcare at Wikimedia events.

Participants were made to participate in the survey to contribute their voice through a mentimeter survey, and we want to extend an invitation for you to participate by 29th November 2025. 

Acknowledgement

Before the event, committee members dedicated their time to planning and organizing, making invaluable contributions that were key to the event’s success. Learn more about Wiki Women Lunch and organizing team here. 

Gallery

All photos licence found here.

Find more photos on the Wikiwomen lunch event here