From Wiki Kent Club to Kota Marudu: Sowing the Seeds of the Free Knowledge Movement in the Kimaragang Community
I first discovered the Wikimedia world while studying for my Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching, majoring in Kadazandusun Language, through my involvement with the Kent Wiki Club. This experience directly led me to become an active contributor in the Kadazandusun community.
Since becoming active in 2023 through Wiktionary, Wikipedia, and Wikimedia Commons, we have achieved many milestones together. These include translating thousands of Kadazandusun words into Malay on Wiktionary, establishing the Kadazandusun Wikipedia, and uploading over 2,000 cultural photos during major events like the Kaamatan Festival. We also successfully built strategic partnerships with various external organizations.
From 2024 to 2025, I was trusted to lead the Wiki Kent Club. This leadership opportunity taught me valuable lessons about internal and external management, especially regarding organizational collaboration, such as when organizing the Wikitour, which required us to contact the management of IPGM Rajang Campus to secure agreement for a joint program.
Bringing Campus Experience Back to the Roots
After working hard alongside fellow organizers in the Kadazandusun community, I have now graduated and become a Wiki Kent Club alumnus. Equipped with knowledge and experience, I returned to my hometown in Kota Marudu, where the main community is the Kimaragang people, a community I am also a part of.
The achievements and close cooperation of the Kadazandusun community under the guidance of the Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia (WCUGM) greatly inspired me. I believe that if this model is adapted for the Kimaragang community, similar, or even greater, achievements can be realized.
My main goal now is to create the Kimaragang Language Wikipedia. My experience leading the campus club serves as the main motivation to drive this effort in my own community. Although I know this journey will not be easy, support from WCUGM and discussions with friends from other communities give me the confidence to move forward.
The First Seed in Kota Marudu
I took the first step by reaching out to friends in Kota Marudu to meet and talk. During the meeting, I explained the basics of the Wikimedia movement, the role of WCUGM, existing projects, and the long-term benefits for preserving Kimaragang culture and language. I also shared my exposure and main goal to make the Kimaragang Language Wikipedia a reality.
To me, the use of the Kimaragang language in online writing is not yet threatened by rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is because AI has not yet mastered this language deeply, given that the digital writing structure and resources for Kimaragang are very different from Malay or English.
A Small but Meaningful Beginning
On August 12, 2026, the very first Wikimedia Kimaragang Community meeting took place. Even though only two people attended at first, I am no stranger to starting small.
This situation is very similar to our early experience at the Wiki Kent Club. After organizing the Wiktionary Workshop in November 2022, only two to three people remained actively involved. However, over time and with consistent effort, that number grew to dozens of members, eventually allowing us to organize large-scale programs. This journey has just begun, and I believe the small seed planted today will grow into a strong community in the future.
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