Reflections from Wikimania Paris 2026

You could be a Wikimedian all your life, editing in your small corner of the world, but nothing beats being in the same space with over a thousand fellow Wikimedians who have flown, trained and travelled from every corner of the world.

Being in that space, the realisation that this is beyond clicking some keys on your keyboard and pressing the publish button hit me so hard. This was a movement. I had always known it was a movement, but never had I ever seen it so clearly as I did during Wikimania 2026 in Paris.

My Wikimania started a day early during the Day Zero preconference Advocacy workshop, where I presented on Free Knowledge Africa’s ongoing open access campaign in Nigeria. I walked in expecting to just share our work, what we had done and where we were going, but I walked out with something bigger. Listening to the other presenter describe their own battles for open access, the different laws they were pushing against, the wins they celebrated and the losses they counted, I got a clearer sense of where our campaign fits into a much larger global picture. Some of our challenges in Nigeria weren’t unique at all, and some of what we had already achieved was further ahead than I had given us credit for. It was an equally humbling and energising experience, the kind of perspective you can only get by putting your work next to everyone else’s in the same room.

The days that followed were a mix of exciting sessions and the unexpected hallway conversations. When you see session topics like ‘Three things about Wikimedia that even experienced Wikimedians might not know’ or ‘Wiki Unpopular Opinions’, you know you are in for a treat. As someone invested in the open GLAM space, the GLAM-related sessions were my favourite. It was all so exciting seeing incredible things people were doing in the space and grabbing one or two things to go replicate in my own community. Let’s not forget the hallway unplanned conversations that became even more exciting than some planned sessions. Every conversation felt like a session of its own. Ideas and perspectives coming together that quietly rearrange the way you think about your own work.

Of course, there were other sessions that were a lot more ‘fun’. The ‘Play Wiki board game to discover Wikipedia’ just put the whole Wikipedia building blocks into a more tangible perspective. Seeing NPOV, Structure, Citations, and References all displayed on a board representing how a Wikipedia article comes together was a wonderful experience. Discovering more of Paris during the Photowork, the Wiki Fashion Show, and the Karaoke session made the week even more magical.

If I am being honest, the most magical part of the whole week was the closing ceremony. Listening to the closing remarks, reinforcing why what we do actually matters, especially in the world we find ourselves in right now, was a much-needed encouragement. And to top it off was the beautiful rendition of ‘Oh Wikipedia’ by the Wiki Choir and Orchestra. I am certain I am not the only one who still has the song ringing in my ears two weeks after the conference. I catch myself humming the lyrics in the middle of an ordinary day, and it brings me right back into that room

I left Wikimania Paris 2026 with new connections, new friends, strengthened belief in the work we do and a new favourite song. I can’t wait to see where this renewed energy takes me personally and us all as a movement next.