Serving as a jury member within our movement is a profound responsibility, but it is also one of the most rewarding ways to experience the global community. Over the last two years, I, Fuseini Mugisu Suhuyini (Sir Amugi), have had the privilege of evaluating submissions for several major Wikimedia campaigns, working at both the local level in Ghana and the international stage. Looking back at these experiences, I am reminded of how much passion goes into documenting our world and how vital the role of a juror is in ensuring that this documentation is accurate, educational, and accessible.
Preserving Heritage at Home: Wiki Loves Folklore and Wiki Loves Africa in Ghana
A significant part of my jury work has been deeply rooted in my home community with the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group. Local contests are the lifeblood of regional content creation, and being on the ground to evaluate how our own histories are documented is incredibly meaningful.
During the Wiki Loves Folklore 2026 campaign in Ghana, organized by our user group, my focus was on how our rich cultural traditions, oral histories, and local practices were being captured. Folklore is fragile; if we do not document it, it risks being forgotten. Reviewing the submissions allowed me to help safeguard Dagbani heritage and ensure our local customs are represented accurately on global platforms.
Similarly, I served on the jury for the local Wiki Loves Africa 2026 contest, also driven by the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group. This contest brought forward powerful visual stories from our community, capturing the daily realities, innovations, and spirit of Africa from a homegrown perspective. Evaluating these entries locally gave me a deep appreciation for the volunteers who are actively changing the narrative of our continent one upload at a time.
Stepping Onto the Global Stage: International Juries
My involvement with Wiki Loves Africa and Wiki Loves Folklore did not stop at the local level. I was also invited to join the international juries for both Wiki Loves Africa 2026 and Wiki Loves Folklore 2026.
Moving from a local lens to an international one changes your perspective entirely. On the international juries, I found myself collaborating with peers from different backgrounds to evaluate thousands of submissions from across the globe. For Wiki Loves Folklore International, it was fascinating to see the cultural threads that connect us all, reviewing unique celebrations, traditional attire, and rituals from every continent. For Wiki Loves Africa International, the task was to select the absolute best imagery that captures the vast, diverse, and dynamic reality of the African continent. Balancing technical quality with cultural context at this scale is challenging, but it ensures that only the highest-quality media rise to the top.
Celebrating Science: The 2025 Wiki Science Competition in India
My jury journey also took me into the realm of scientific documentation during the 2025 Wiki Science Competition. The international photo contest is dedicated to the visual representation of science, aimed at bringing high-quality scientific media into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
The 2025 edition was historic because India hosted its very first fully localized version of the competition, completely managed by community volunteers. The goal was to encourage people to share high-quality scientific media, images, and videos that spotlighted the country’s scientific innovations and research achievements. Being a part of the evaluation team for this specific milestone was a unique experience. You can see the full team of jurors I worked alongside at wikisciencecompetition.in/jury
Documenting Leadership: The Shine Her Light Campaign with OFWA
Closer to home, I joined the jury for the third edition of the Shine Her Light Campaign, an initiative by Open Foundation West Africa running from March 4th to March 31st, 2026. This year’s theme was Celebrating African Women in Governance.
Women’s stories, especially in leadership and governance, face a massive representation gap online. The Shine Her Light Campaign directly addresses this by training and supporting women editors to write about and preserve the legacies of notable African women. Serving on this jury was incredibly inspiring. I wasn’t just looking at text or media quality; I was reviewing content that fundamentally alters the historical record, ensuring African women’s voices are visible for future generations. The campaign wrapped up beautifully on March 27th with an anniversary edition brunch and mentorship session, celebrating both the campaign’s success and OFWA’s 10th anniversary.
What Being a Juror Means to Me
When you look at all these projects together, from local folklore in Ghana to cutting-edge science in India and pivotal gender equity campaigns in West Africa, the thread that connects them all is quality control.
As jurors, our job goes far beyond picking a favorite image or article. We have to look at educational value, the accuracy of the descriptions, the licensing, and how these files can actually be used to improve Wikipedia articles. It requires patience and a sharp eye, but it gives you a front-row seat to the sheer creativity of our movement.
I am incredibly grateful to every user group and organizing team that trusted me with a seat on their jury panels. These experiences have shown me that whether we are protecting our ancestral folklore or pushing the boundaries of modern science, every single contribution matters, and I look forward to helping elevate more of this vital work in the future.
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