Warm Makassar, A Note on Collaboration Along WikiRempah’s Journey to Eastern Indonesia

by
Translate this post

Ever since the Makassar meetup was first announced online, members of the Wikimedia Makassar Community have welcomed the initiative with remarkable warmth and openness.

Led by Sekar Jarwo Soekarno and Iripseudocorus, the Wikimedia Makassar Community succeeded in significantly increasing both participant attendance and the volume of contributions produced during the event, results that were clearly visible when tracked through our laptops.

The amazing friends from Makassar | Oceanmuse | CC BY SA 4.0

It is no exaggeration to say that the enthusiasm of our friends in Makassar was extraordinary. Their energy was so strong that it could even be felt by Wikimedia communities from other islands. This included us in the WikiRempah team Ana_Ainina, Supardisahabu, and Sofi Solihah, who came from Java Island, Gorontalo, and Manado respectively.

Both the local contacts and participants responded enthusiastically and showed a strong willingness to work together in increasing contributions to Buginese Wikipedia, the Makassarese Wikipedia Incubator, and the Buginese Wiktionary Incubator.

This enthusiasm was apparent from the very beginning of the event. Participants arrived early and came prepared to take an active part in the activities.

For me, this gathering became an important moment to strengthen the initial foundation of our collaboration while reaffirming the purpose of WikiRempah’s expedition to Eastern Indonesia, particularly North Maluku.

Makassar and Its Diversity of Ethnic Groups and Languages

One of the most memorable moments for me was discovering that a native speaker of the Konjo language was among the participants. Many people may associate Makassar primarily with the Bugis community, especially given that former Vice President of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla, is a Bugis people.

However, I learned that Makassar and its surrounding region are home to at least four major ethnic groups: Makassarese, Konjo, Bugis, and Mandar. These are only some of the communities I became aware of, as South Sulawesi is also home to other ethnic groups such as the Toraja, Enrekang, Duri, and Maiwa.

The presence of a Konjo speaker was particularly meaningful to me, as in the context of Makassar I had more frequently encountered speakers of Buginese and Makassar Malay.

This gathering broadened my perspective and showed me that the linguistic diversity of South Sulawesi is far richer than I had previously understood. It also reinforced the importance of continuously documenting this diversity through Wikimedia projects.

The warmth of the community could already be felt from the moment I arrived in Makassar. Our friends not only helped us identify convenient and strategic travel routes, but also welcomed and accompanied us throughout the activities.

They even helped us discover authentic local culinary spots. We documented these moments through photographs and uploaded them to Wikimedia Commons, allowing the local experiences we shared to become part of open knowledge.

So, What Did We Accomplish?

As expected, the WikiRempah Makassar meetup resulted in a number of contributions across various Wikimedia projects. The complete results can be viewed through the following Outreach Dashboard:

https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Wikimedia_Gorontalo/Kopdar_WikiRempah_Makassar/home

I truly felt the presence of members of the Wikimedia Makassar Community, including Aasha Ruzka. Without her support, we would not have been able to produce the 39 photographs available here https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiRempah_Makassar/Photo

Local Makassarese Cuisine | Oceanmuse | CC BY SA 4.0

Everyone in Makassar was incredibly helpful, responsive, and actively involved in supporting the various needs of the program.

Their support made me realize that the collaboration we had built was not limited to online communication. It was manifested directly through a genuine spirit of gotong royong, mutual cooperation on the ground.

This was made possible through the contributions of Frauzam, who contributed to Konjo Pesisir, and then to Fitriakhrd, NasRI A. Muhammad Abduh, Noefiya NFY, Wanita Hijrah, and Romadhon tri.

A Transit in Makassar, Documenting Local Cuisine for Wikimedia Commons

As the project lead working directly with the Makassar region, I felt grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with a community that possesses such a strong spirit of contribution. Unexpectedly, three weeks later, we had another opportunity to visit Makassar while our flight was in transit in Bumi Anging Mamiri, one of the city’s well-known nicknames.

We would especially like to express our appreciation to Indra-doozo, whose presence and support played an important role in welcoming the WikiRempah team and helping us expand our contributions to Wikimedia Commons through photographs of authentic local cuisine.

The WikiRempah Makassar Meetup became a memorable experience, particularly because of the hospitality, willingness to help, and strong spirit of mutual cooperation demonstrated by the local community.

Makassar’s strategic position as one of the key gateways connecting different parts of Eastern Indonesia also creates valuable opportunities for sustained collaboration among Wikimedia communities across the region.

Can you help us translate this article?

In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out?