The Dagomba Commons Project

The foundation for sustainable cultural preservation lies in documenting cultural heritage, training individuals in documentation skills, and raising awareness about Creative Commons licensing. Empowering people with this knowledge ensures that indigenous knowledge systems are protected for future generations.

Planning and stakeholder engagement for the project began in July 2025, during which Supreme Studios was contracted to capture photographs of selected Dagomba cultural artefacts. These efforts laid the foundation for a successful maiden workshop in November 2025.

On November 1, 2025, an in-person workshop was held in Tamale, Northern Ghana, with the goal of documenting the cultural artefacts of the Dagomba people on Wikimedia Commons, and improving Wikidata items and Wikipedia articles associated with the uploaded media. The culture-driven project, led by Abdul-Rasheed Yussif, received funding from the Activity Fund of Open Culture under Creative Commons, with strong support from the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, an official partner.

Participants included both males and females from diverse fields; cultural enthusiasts, researchers, and mostly teachers who shared a common passion for cultural preservation. The project lead welcomed participants and outlined the objectives of the project. He emphasized the importance of cultural documentation in safeguarding indigenous knowledge systems and explained the mission of Creative Commons. He also highlighted the integral role played by the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, a non-profit affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Session on Creative Commons Licensing

To set the tone for the training, Mohammed Kamaldeen Fuseini, an experienced facilitator, delivered a session on Creative Commons licenses. The session was interactive and informative, providing insights into the evolution of copyright and the emergence of Creative Commons.

He began by engaging participants with a brainstorming exercise on the meaning of copyright. He then provided a brief history, noting that copyright protection began with the 1911 U.K. Copyright Act and became prominent in Ghana in 1996. The presentation also covered Ghana’s copyright landscape, highlighting the role of the Ghana Copyright Association, the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), and the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA).

With this foundation, he introduced participants to the various Creative Commons licenses, including:

• CC0 — Freeing content globally without restrictions
• CC BY — Attribution
• CC BY-SA — Attribution + ShareAlike
• CC BY-ND — Attribution + NoDerivatives
• CC BY-NC — Attribution + NonCommercial
• CC BY-NC-SA — Attribution + NonCommercial + ShareAlike
• CC BY-NC-ND — Attribution + NonCommercial + NoDerivatives

Participants also learned about the three layers of Creative Commons licenses:

1. The legal code
2. The commons deed
3. The machine-readable version

The session concluded with a brief introduction to reverse image search tools such as TinEye and Google Lens. Many participants shared that the session clarified long-held misconceptions about copyright.

Introduction to Wikimedia Commons

The next session was facilitated by Abdul-Wadud Alhassan, who introduced participants to the Wikimedia Commons interface. He explained the types of photos and videos allowed on the platform and highlighted how certain transfer methods, especially WhatsApp and Facebook downloads can affect copyright status and licensing conditions.

Participants were engaged throughout, especially after learning that images shared via WhatsApp could be restricted by WhatsApp’s terms. The session was eye-opening for many who were new to Wikimedia’s copyright policies.

Practical Upload Session

The final session was facilitated by Rukaya Hamidu, who guided participants through a hands-on photo upload activity. Professional photographs taken by Supreme Studios were made available via Google Drive, and participants downloaded and uploaded their selected photos to Wikimedia Commons.
Peer learning and mentorship were encouraged, allowing experienced Wikimedians to support newcomers throughout the process.

Outcomes

• 300 photos of Dagomba cultural artefacts were documented and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
• The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group was recognized as an official partner of the project.
• 24 community members were trained and empowered with the skills to document and upload photos on Wikimedia Commons.
• A total of 44 pages were created on Wikipedia/Wikidata, and 204 existing pages were improved.

Challenges

• Internet connectivity fluctuations affected the smooth flow of activities during the workshop, causing minor interruptions.
• The depreciation of the USD relative to the GHS reduced the overall value of the approved funds.
  This issue was addressed by revising the project scope to align with the adjusted budget, ensuring that core objectives were still met.
  Strong collaboration with the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group and timely approvals from relevant authorities helped maintain momentum and successfully deliver the project.

Conclusion

The workshop concluded with reflections and gratitude from the project lead, who appreciated the commitment and enthusiasm shown by participants. The attendees expressed deep appreciation for the knowledge and skills gained, describing the workshop as both impactful and transformative.

Planning and stakeholder engagement for the project began in July 2025, during which Supreme Studios was contracted to capture photographs of selected Dagomba cultural artefacts. These efforts laid the foundation for a successful maiden workshop in November 2025.

~ Abdul-Rasheed Yussif