After an incredible week at the GLAM Wiki Conference in Portugal, I continued my learning journey by traveling to Barcelona for the Mozilla Festival 2025, held from 7th to 9th November, 2025.
MozFest is more than a conference, it’s a global gathering of creators, technologists, activists, and innovators committed to building a safer, fairer, and more inclusive digital world. Receiving my registration confirmation felt special: “You’re now part of a global community unlearning the defaults, sharing bold ideas, and building a more inclusive digital future.”
Stepping into the festival as i represented the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, I immediately felt the energy. With over 200+ sessions on offer, every moment was designed to challenge assumptions, inspire action, and spark new ideas.
One of the most soul-stirring sessions was Move Like Freedom: Dancing the African Diaspora. This immersive dance experience celebrated the rhythms and traditions of the African Diaspora, from African dance and Afrobeat to line dancing and twerking. I learned that movement itself is a form of technology, a living “data stream” passed down from ancestors, carrying wisdom, resilience, and identity. Dancing across rhythms from West Africa to Detroit and Lagos, we connected joy, culture, and community in a powerful, liberating way.
On a different note, Lessons from a Decade of Building Whistleblower Tech offered a deep dive into SecureDrop, the open-source tool that allows journalists to communicate safely and anonymously with whistleblowers. The session highlighted the challenges of building technology that operates in high-risk environments, the importance of trust and transparency, and how communities can support and strengthen tools that protect press freedom.
Amid the intense learning, there were also moments of joy and playfulness. In Meet Foxy!, I met the friendly Firefox mascot, part red panda, part fox, and full of open-web energy. Foxy reminded us that technology can be fun, friendly, and privacy-respecting, and of course, there were plenty of smiles and selfies.
Some of the most critical sessions addressed inclusion and care in technology:
- Designing Inclusive Tech through Collective Care explored how AI and digital systems often reinforce existing inequalities rooted in patriarchy, racism, and economic exclusion. Speakers emphasized that technology should be co-created with marginalized groups, centering collective care, cultural relevance, and accountability, to ensure safer, more inclusive digital ecosystems.
- Reimagining Tech for Linguistic and Disability Inclusion highlighted how default tech designs often marginalize people with disabilities and speakers of non-dominant languages. Through case studies and collaborative exercises, participants explored frameworks for inclusive, locally grounded, user-centered design that prioritizes accessibility and language equity. The key takeaway: technology must be designed for everyone, not just the majority, empowering communities and bridging digital divides.
MozFest 2025 in Barcelona was an inspiring mix of creativity, critical thinking, and community building. From the rhythm of ancestral dances to the careful design of inclusive digital systems, I left feeling energized, challenged, and motivated to bring these lessons back to my own work in open knowledge and digital literacy.
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