72 Hours Virtual Marathon Edit-a-thon 5.0 in the Igbo Wikimedians User Group

The fifth edition of the 72 hours virtual marathon edit-a-thon organized by the Igbo Wikimedians User Group, yet again marked another exciting step in our ongoing effort to preserve and promote the Igbo language through open knowledge, ensuring quality over quantity. This project which began in April 2025, has recorded remarkable success from collaborative efforts and participation across our community.

This edition was designed to sustain impact and build capacity. We began as usual with an engaging opening session to get participants familiarized with the workflow and assigned tasks. As organizers, we demonstrated practical ways to fix pending issues, and provided guidance on the use of essential tools. Editors dedicated 72 hours, from 27 to 30 November 2025, to improving the Igbo Wikipedia. During the marathon, participants specifically focused on:

1. Adding {{DEFAULTSORT}} to biography pages for better organization and accessibility.
2. Fixing reference errors in Igbo Wikipedia articles to ensure integrity.

The results were both inspiring and measurable. 719 articles with reference errors were fixed, and 800 biography pages were improved with {{DEFAULTSORT}}. Beyond the metrics, what has always truly stood out is the dedication and commitment of participants who contribute across different time zones and skill levels. This project doesn’t only improve content quality but strengthens community engagement and capacity building among Igbo Wikimedians.

Together, through each and every edit, we are building a vibrant digital future for the Igbo language and open knowledge at large. My deepest gratitude goes to every participant and my co-organizers – Lucy Iwuala, Mark Lapang, and Hilary Ogali, for the incredible teamwork and commitment. I look forward to the continuation of this project and even more positive outcomes.