Submissions:2025/Wikimedia Funding; Why Kenya Needs Something More
This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2025.
Title:
- Wikimedia Funding; Why Kenya Needs Something More
Type of session:
- Lecture (15-30 min)
Session theme(s):
- Credibility, Missing pieces, Future of Wikipedia/ Building a Sustainable Wikipedia Community in Africa: Lessons from Kenya’s Matriarchs Project and the Vision for a University of Nairobi Wiki Hub
Abstract:
This session outlines the work of two Rapid grants with the Wikipedia Foundation and expresses the hopes for a larger presence at the University of Nairobi with a physical hub and training centre to overcome Wikipedia’s content gaps in Africa, particularly around women scholars. Gaps between local knowledge and academia also remain a critical challenge for global knowledge equity. This session presents a model for sustainable growth through two interconnected Rapid Grant projects in Kenya. The first rapid grant, Expanding Wikipedia in Africa, successfully created Wikipedia articles and stubs on pioneering Kenyan figures in the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, addressing systemic underrepresentation. However, the project revealed broader needs such as retaining editors, internet costs, expanding stubs into full articles, and securing archival media to enrich content. Building on these lessons, the second initiative envisions a University of Nairobi Wikipedia Hub, a physical training and collaboration space within the university’s library. This hub aims to institutionalise Wikipedia engagement by providing students, scholars, and the public with resources, workshops, and mentorship to grow a self-sustaining community of editors. Located in Nairobi, the centre of East Africa, the hub would serve as a regional anchor for content creation, bridging gaps between academia and open knowledge movements. The panel will be presented in two parts. We will first discuss our trajectory and lessons learned, then discuss our hopes for further advancing the Wikipedia Hub and creating underwritten collaborative projects.
Author name(s):
Wikimedia username(s):
- Communista; RosPost
Affiliated organization(s):
- Women in Religion Wikimedia User Group; University of Nairobi
Estimated length of session
- 30 minutes will do, but 45 minutes for a Q&A on finding resources for Kenyan Projects in General would be helpful.
Will you be presenting remotely?
- I will present in person
Okay to livestream?
- Livestreaming is okay
Previously presented?
- Yes and No, We have presented on our work at Indianapolis and Nairobi, but facilitating audience for a collective future and underwriting support will be new.
Special requests:
Summary: Wikipedia’s knowledge gaps in Africa, particularly in the areas of women scholars, academia, and local expertise, highlight the urgent need for sustainable solutions. This session explores two pioneering Rapid Grant projects in Kenya: Expanding Wikipedia in Africa, which created Wikipedia content on underrepresented Kenyan women scholars, and the proposed University of Nairobi Wiki Hub, a physical space to train and mentor editors. While it revealed challenges like editor retention and content expansion, the Matriarchs project has provided valuable insights into the difficulties of addressing knowledge gaps. The Wiki Hub aims to institutionalise Wikipedia engagement, fostering a self-sustaining community. Together, these initiatives offer a scalable model for bridging Africa’s knowledge equity gap through education, collaboration, and open-access advocacy.