In 2001, what started as a small online encyclopedia has grown into a global movement for free knowledge. Over the past 25 years, Wikipedia and its surrounding ecosystem have been built and expanded through the collective efforts of millions of people.
In Uzbekistan, Wikipedia began its activity on December 20, 2003. Although Uzbek Wikimedians have faced various challenges and obstacles over the years, today we are able to edit Wikipedia freely. Feeling this sense of freedom, we decided to organize a 25th anniversary celebration.
Initiating the event
I first discussed the plans with Miss Kamola. To ensure effective organization, I decided to assign the main support role to the TSUE Wiki Club under Tashkent State University of Economics. The club coordinator, Javoxir Yorqulov, provided significant assistance throughout the process.
Announcements were published on the viki_tiki and TSUE Wiki Club pages. Around 100 people expressed interest in participating.
Preparation and souvenirs
We spent several days thinking about memorable gifts for participants. In the end, we decided to prepare notebooks and pens with a special “Wikipedia 25” design, along with a sticker pack.
To create a festive atmosphere, I also prepared chocolates featuring Wikipedia stickers — an idea inspired by a small gift I had made two years ago for a fellow Wikipedian.
February 14 — the celebration day
On February 14, more than 50 participants gathered at the Tashkent State University of Economics. The event was held in collaboration with the Wikimedians of Turkic Languages User Group, Central Asia Youth Community, young Uzbek Wikimedians, and the TSUE Wiki Club.
Most participants were students. Some expressed interest in establishing wiki clubs at their own universities and discussed potential collaboration. In particular, I spoke with students from the Tax Academy about how to create and manage a student club, and I offered to support them as a technical moderator.
Event program
The celebration consisted of three main parts.
1️⃣ Opening session
I began with a brief introduction to the history of Wikipedia. Since many participants were new editors, this information was especially useful for them. Then, Javoxir Yorqulov spoke about the activities of the Wiki Club. Miss Kamola shared her experience within the Wikimedia community, particularly in the CEE Youth Group.
2️⃣ Workshop
In the main session, together with Janob Mirzaolim, I conducted a hands-on workshop on editing Wikipedia and uploading images to Wikimedia Commons.
Janob Mirzaolim handled the technical aspects, while I guided the participants. We created a new account together and wrote a short text by collecting one word or sentence from each participant, then formatted it according to Wikipedia guidelines. After that, I demonstrated how to upload a photo of the anniversary cake to Wikimedia Commons.
3️⃣ Celebration highlight
The highlight of the event was lighting candles and cutting the cake. In accordance with hygiene rules, we did not blow out the candles — instead, we gently fanned them out using Wikipedia stickers. Cake was then served to everyone with music playing in the background.
Closing and informal gathering
At the end of the event, we took group photos and videos. Our volunteers distributed the prepared notebooks, pens, sticker packs, and chocolates featuring the Wikipedia mosaic design to participants.
The event concluded in a friendly atmosphere. Afterwards, a few of us went to Magic City for lunch and informally celebrated Valentine’s Day. We even created small bouquets using heart-shaped Wikipedia stickers and exchanged them with each other.
The 25th anniversary of Wikipedia ended as a truly memorable and joyful experience for me.
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