Documenting Malay Culture Through Collaboration Between Wikimedia Indonesia and Wikimedia Malaysia 

Across Southeast Asia, Malay culture is shared through language, literature, traditions, and historical records that cross modern national borders. While much of this heritage already exists in libraries, archives, and local communities, making it openly accessible in the digital age requires collaboration from many different people and institutions.

To encourage that collaboration, Wikimedia Indonesia and the Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia organized Documenting Malay Culture in the Digital Space, a two-day event held in Pekanbaru, Riau, on 17–18 June 2026. The program brought together Wikimedians, librarians, educators, cultural practitioners, and members of the public to exchange ideas and explore how Wikimedia projects can help preserve and share knowledge about Malay culture.

The event was organized in partnership with the Balai Bahasa Provinsi Riau and the Dinas Perpustakaan dan Kearsipan Provinsi Riau. Representatives from both institutions joined the program as speakers, offering perspectives from government-led cultural preservation initiatives while opening new opportunities for collaboration with Wikimedia communities.

Learning from different experiences

The program began with a public seminar attended by 72 participants, including librarians, university students, representatives of cultural organizations, and local community members. Rather than focusing only on Wikimedia projects themselves, the discussions explored how open knowledge can complement existing efforts to preserve and promote Malay culture.

Jawad from Wikimedia Indonesia shared how volunteers across Indonesia have documented aspects of Malay culture through different Wikimedia projects, demonstrating how community contributions can expand public access to local knowledge. Zahirul from the Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia followed with examples from Malaysia, highlighting similar initiatives and reflecting on the benefits of cross-border collaboration between communities working with the same cultural heritage.

Yeni from the Balai Bahasa Provinsi Riau added another perspective by presenting the institution’s work in protecting and promoting the Malay language and culture. Her presentation highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of cultural preservation in the digital era and emphasized that sustainable documentation requires cooperation among public institutions, educational organizations, cultural communities, and volunteers.

The discussion that followed reflected participants’ enthusiasm. Questions ranged from practical ways to begin contributing to Wikimedia projects to ideas for future partnerships that could strengthen documentation efforts across Indonesia and Malaysia.

Turning ideas into contributions

On the second day, the focus shifted from discussion to practice. Thirty-one participants joined a hands-on workshop introducing the Wikimedia ecosystem through Malay Wikisource, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and Indonesian Wiktionary.

Working alongside facilitators from Wikimedia Indonesia and the Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia, participants explored how different types of cultural materials can be documented across Wikimedia projects. Historical manuscripts found a place on Wikisource, photographs were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, structured information was added to Wikidata, and Malay vocabulary was expanded through Indonesian Wiktionary.

The workshop also illustrated an important aspect of the Wikimedia ecosystem: every project plays a different role, yet each contribution strengthens the others. A photograph can illustrate an article, structured data can connect cultural heritage across languages, and digitized texts can become reliable references for future contributors. Together, these projects create richer pathways for preserving and sharing cultural knowledge.

Looking ahead

The event concluded with a shared recognition that documenting culture is an ongoing effort rather than a one-time activity. Building open knowledge about Malay culture depends not only on Wikimedia volunteers but also on partnerships with libraries, educational institutions, government agencies, and local communities.

By creating opportunities for people to learn, contribute, and collaborate, initiatives like this help strengthen the open knowledge ecosystem while making Malay cultural heritage more visible and accessible. Wikimedia Indonesia hopes that the connections established during these two days will continue to grow, encouraging more contributors and institutions to participate in documenting and sharing Malay culture through Wikimedia projects.