From July 21 to July 25, 2026, I had the opportunity to participate in Wikimania 2026 at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris, France. This year’s Wikimania, the 21st edition of the global Wikimedia conference, brought Wikimedians together under the theme “Freedom, Equity, Reliability” and was also part of the celebration of 25 years of Wikipedia.
This Wikimania felt particularly special. Celebrating the 25th birthday of Wikipedia surrounded by Wikimedians from around the world was a reminder of how far a project that started with a simple but ambitious idea has come. Seeing the Baby Globe around the conference, joining the celebrations, and hearing the stories of contributors from different generations made the anniversary feel much more than just a number. It was a celebration of 25 years of people working together to make knowledge freely accessible.
The journey to Paris
For me, the Wikimania experience started even before reaching Paris. My journey was not straightforward. Regional developments resulted in challenges related to embassy services in Iraq, and my first visa application was refused. For some time, attending Wikimania seemed uncertain. However, my determination to participate had another opinion! I continued trying and eventually managed to secure my visa only a short time before the conference.
On July 20, I finally made it to Paris.
I started my Wikimania experience with the pre-conference activities, where I had the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and friends from different parts of the world. This has always been one of my favourite parts of Wikimania. Wikimedia is primarily an online movement, and throughout the year we work together through screens, mailing lists, projects, and meetings. Wikimania gives these online relationships a human face.
The conference begins
On July 21, Wikimania officially started with the opening ceremony. One of the highlights was the announcement of the Wikimedians of the Year, recognising contributors who have made remarkable contributions to the movement. It was especially meaningful for me to see members connected to the Wikimedia youth community being recognised, reinforcing my belief that young contributors should not only be seen as the future of Wikimedia, but should also have a meaningful role in shaping its present.
Another beautiful touch during the opening was the video message from French astronaut Sophie Adenot from the International Space Station (ISS). Seeing Wikimania and the celebration of free knowledge acknowledged from space made the opening feel even more special and memorable, and was a fitting way to celebrate Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary.
Youth and the future of the movement
Youth engagement was therefore an important part of my participation in Wikimania.
I joined the Wikimedia Global Youth Meetup, which brought together young Wikimedians from around the world to exchange experiences, discuss successful youth initiatives, and talk about the issues that matter to younger contributors.
I also attended “Bring in the Youth! Discussing ways to support youth on a regional level.” The session explored how Wikimedia communities can support young contributors beyond simply recruiting them, including helping them develop skills, remain involved over the long term, and gradually become organisers and leaders within their communities.
These conversations were particularly valuable because attracting young people is only the first step. The bigger question is how we create an environment where they feel that they belong, have opportunities to grow, and can eventually influence the direction of the movement.
Connecting MENA, Asia, and the global movement
Another important part of my Wikimania experience was regional networking.
During the MENA Connect Meetup, I joined colleagues from across the Arabic-speaking region to discuss topics related to Arabic Wikipedia and our communities. Meeting face-to-face created space for conversations that are sometimes difficult to have during short online meetings: discussing shared challenges, exchanging experiences, and thinking about areas where communities across the region can cooperate more closely.
At the same time, I participated in the Asia Meetup: Strengthening Regional Collaboration Across Wikimedia Communities. The meetup brought together contributors, organisers, and affiliates from across Asia to exchange practices and identify possibilities for greater regional collaboration.
Participating in both spaces was particularly interesting to me because it showed how Wikimedia communities can connect beyond traditional regional boundaries. Many of the challenges we discuss like attracting new contributors, retaining young volunteers, developing community leadership, responding to technological change, and ensuring that our communities are represented globally, are not limited to one country or one region.
Wikimedia, AI, and the challenges ahead
One of the most thought-provoking parts of the conference was discussing the bigger changes happening around Wikimedia.
I attended “Seat at the Table with the Trustees,” a roundtable with members of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. The discussions looked at major trends affecting the Wikimedia movement, including artificial intelligence, content reuse, government regulation, and neutrality.
AI was one of the recurring themes throughout Wikimania. The discussions made it clear that the relationship between Wikipedia and AI is becoming one of the defining questions for the next stage of the movement. Wikimedia content is increasingly important to AI and other technologies, while at the same time we have to think carefully about what this means for contributors, readers, attribution, reliability, and the motivation to continue creating free knowledge.
These conversations reminded me that the next 25 years of Wikimedia will probably look very different from the first 25. The challenge is not simply to protect what has already been built, but to understand how our movement can adapt while keeping its fundamental principles.
More than sessions
Wikimania cannot really be measured by the number of sessions attended.
Some of the most valuable moments happened in corridors, during lunch, over coffee, or while walking between conference rooms. Conversations that begin with a simple introduction can develop into discussions about projects, partnerships, common challenges, or ideas for future collaboration.
With more than 1,250 Wikimedians participating in person and almost 2,000 joining online, Wikimania 2026 demonstrated once again the global diversity of the movement.
For me, having the opportunity to bring an Iraqi and Arabic-community perspective into these conversations was important. At the same time, listening to people working in completely different contexts helped me see some of our own challenges from different perspectives.
What I brought back from Paris
The most important outcomes from Wikimania were therefore not only the knowledge gained from individual sessions, but also the connections and ideas that came from them.
I returned from Paris with a stronger network within the Wikimedia youth community, deeper connections with colleagues from the MENA region, new relationships with Wikimedians from Asia and other parts of the movement, and several ideas that can be adapted to our own community.
The regional meetings reminded me that our communities do not have to solve every challenge independently. Whether the topic is youth participation, community sustainability, technology, AI, or contributor retention, there is enormous value in learning from approaches already being tested elsewhere and adapting them to our own context.
Finally, the conversations around AI, reliability, and the future of free knowledge gave me many questions to continue exploring. Wikipedia has reached its 25th anniversary, but reaching this milestone does not mean that the mission is complete. New technologies and changing ways of accessing information mean that the movement will have to continue evolving.
Until the next Wikimania
Looking back, getting to Wikimania 2026 was itself part of the experience. From an embassy closure and visa refusal to finally arriving in Paris and joining Wikimedians from around the world, the journey reminded me why being part of this movement matters so much to me.
Celebrating Wikipedia’s first 25 years in Paris was special. But what interested me even more were the conversations about the next 25 years, And I left Paris feeling even more motivated to be part of them.
About the “From Baghdad to…” series
This article is part of my “From Baghdad to…” series, a collection of Diff posts where I document my Wikimedia journeys and reflections from the conferences I attend around the world.
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