Ewe Wikimedians Community Reflections – 3rd Edition of the Ghanaian Language Meet-Up 2025

From September 26th to 27th, the Ewe Wikimedians Community was honoured to attend the Annual Ghanaian Language Wikimedia Community Meet-Up 2025 at the KNUST Library Mall in Kumasi. This year’s gathering was nothing short of phenomenal organized by the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group and Wikimedia Ghana User Group, with generous support from the Wikimedia Foundation, which was a demonstration of the growth and dedication within Ghana’s local Wikimedia movement.

Our Road to Kumasi: Strengthening Representation

We proudly had four scholarship recipients of the community gotten from the scholarship committee, symbolizing our community’s commitment to collaboration: Christopher Azorbli (User: Azorbli), Co-founder of community; Gabriel Joe Amuzu (User: Amuzujoe), our community lead; Livingstone Ayivor (User: Leayivor) and Francisca Kpegba (User: Francisca Kpegba), our dedicated volunteer editors.

The effort involved in bringing our team together highlighted our dedication: Christopher, Livingstone and Francisca travelled from the Volta Region, while Gabriel travelled from the Greater Accra Region. What made this year truly special? We had representation from 13 Ghanaian language communities, a powerful increase from the 11 we hosted in the past two years. It was a vibrant celebration of linguistic diversity, cultural pride, and collaborative spirit.

Day 1 Highlights:

The energy on Day 1 was amazing, thanks to Daniel Abugre Anyorigya (User: Uprising Man), the Gurene Wikimedians Community’s lead, who expertly moderated us.

• Opening remarks by Sadik Shahadu, Executive Director of  Dagbani Wikimedians User Group , set the tone for unity and purpose.
• Sandister Tei from Wikimedia Ghana delivered a compelling presentation on the movement’s growth and the role of local communities.
• A dynamic panel moderated by Fuseini Musah (username: musahfm) featured voices from Dagbani, Ewe Wikimedians Community, Twi Wikipedia, Dagaare Wikimedians Community, Wali Wikimedians Community, and Fante Wikimedians Community . They shared their journeys, wins, and the hurdles they face in preserving and promoting their languages online.
• We also explored the power of voice technology through a presentation on Mozilla Common Voice.
• One of the most eye-opening sessions came from the Media Foundation for West Africa, led by Kwaku Krobea Asante. His presentation on fact-checking reminded us that as language communities, we are not just documenting culture we are safeguarding truth. In an era of misinformation, our role as digital custodians is more critical than ever.

Day 2 Highlights:

Day 2 kicked off with a motivational recap by Zakaria Tunsung Bukari, a community lead of the Waali, who beautifully captured the energy and insights from Day 1.

Another engaging panel session, this time moderated by Alhassan Ragadawu Alhassan , spotlighted Moore Wikimedia Community, Nzema, Ga, Ghanaian Pidgin Wikimedians Community , Gurene Wikimedia Community and Kusaal Wikimedia Community. Their stories reinforced the importance of collaboration, mentorship, and shared learning.

Beyond the Sessions:

The informal networking moments were just as impactful laughter, shared meals, spontaneous photo shoots, and deep conversations that reminded us why we do this work. These connections are the heartbeat of our movement.

Key Reflections and the Force of Our Togetherness

Beyond the formal sessions, the informal networking—filled with shared meals, spontaneous photo shoots, and deep conversations—was the true heartbeat of the Meet-Up. These moments strengthened the bonds that make our collective movement possible.

Our key takeaways moving forward are:

1. Fact-checking is a civic duty. Language communities must be equipped to verify information and challenge misinformation.
2. Collaboration is our strength. When we support each other through mentorship, resource sharing, and joint campaigns we grow stronger together.
3. Community is everything. The smiles, the selfies, the stories, they are proof that our movement is alive, human, and deeply rooted in love for our heritage.

The Ewe Wikimedians Community is energized by the connections made and the knowledge shared. We look forward to implementing these lessons to further enrich the digital space for the Ewe language.