CIS-A2K/Reports/Newsletter/December 2024
In the Limelight: Santali Food Festival
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Imagine the rituals of a community, the songs sung around a fire, the wisdom passed down through generations—these are not just relics of the past; they are living legacies that should be shared and celebrated. By capturing these narratives and making them accessible online under open licences, we create a bridge between cultures, enabling mutual understanding and respect.
The recent Santali Food Festival highlighted the need to document the everyday lives of diverse cultures, particularly those of indigenous communities. As globalization continues to reshape cultural landscapes, it becomes increasingly important to preserve the unique traditions, practices, and knowledge systems that define indigenous communities. Documenting their stories not only honors their heritage but also enriches our collective understanding of humanity.
This knowledge should be made available in open domains online to ensure accessibility and promote cultural exchange. The digital realm offers a powerful platform for sharing indigenous narratives, allowing these voices to reach a global audience. By archiving traditional practices, languages, and customs in accessible formats, we can foster appreciation and respect for cultural diversity. Open access to this information empowers indigenous communities, enabling them to reclaim their narratives and challenge stereotypes that often accompany misrepresentation.
“The 11th Museum Day celebration with Santal Traditional food was organized by Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust in collaboration with the Centre for Internet and Society. The planning process of documenting the Santali food and culture with the active participation of CIS, West Bengal Wikimedians and Santali Wikimedians was very much interesting. We learnt many aspects and potential of Wikimedia projects in creating and disseminating free knowledge.
The food festival event was highly appreciated by the participants especially by the educated youth of colleges and research scholars from the universities. The students of Santali department of Visva- Bharati University participated and shared their experiences which rippled through social media. Many organizations also requested us to help them to organize similar events in their area to preserve and document the traditional knowledge.
The important outcome of this festival is, the whole process of food preparation has been documented, right from collecting the raw materials such as snails, vegetables, red ant to make 'hanow chipi' and preparation of roast meat etc. to the complete dishes. The documentation was done by the West Bengal Wikimedians.” - Dr Boro Baski, founder member of Ghosaldanga Adibasi Trust
The Santali Food Festival is an example of the kind of Living GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) initiatives that CIS-A2K aims to pioneer. This event not only showcased traditional Santali cuisine but also served as a participatory platform for community members to document their culinary heritage.
By prioritizing projects like these, we can create a more inclusive narrative that honours the diversity of the human experience. It is essential that we continue to support these efforts, ensuring that future generations have access to the rich cultural legacies of Indigenous communities worldwide.
Dispatches from A2K
editAs we welcome the New Year 2025, the Access to Knowledge (A2K) team at the Centre for Internet and Society extends heartfelt greetings to all. This year, we are filled with optimism and determination as we continue our journey in the open knowledge movement—a journey that is not just about sharing information, but about empowering individuals and communities.
Looking ahead, we are excited about the activities planned for this year, including initiatives aimed at deepening the impact of open knowledge projects across Indian language communities. Our commitment to promoting sustainable knowledge practices will guide us as we engage with diverse communities, enhance digital accessibility, and advocate for open educational resources.
We believe that by working together, we can create a more equitable and accessible knowledge landscape. Let us embrace this New Year with a shared vision of openness and collaboration, ensuring that everyone has a voice in shaping the future of knowledge. Here’s to a year of growth, connection, and meaningful impact!
Happy New Year!
-Pavan Santhosh, Program Manager, CIS-A2K
Monthly Recap
editLearning hours Call
editThe CIS-A2K Learning Hours is an initiative designed to enhance the skills of Indic Wikimedia community members by introducing essential tools that are useful in contributing to their projects and gathering insights about their communities. The second Learning Hour, held on December 23, 2024, was moderated by User:Jnanaranjan_sahu and facilitated by User:Nivas (CIS-A2K). Participants were introduced to QuickStatements—a tool designed to make bulk editing on Wikidata intuitive and efficient. The session focused on contributing to Wikidata like adding simple statements, including statements with qualifiers and sources, and performing item creation or merging using the “Command sequence syntax” in QuickStatements. The next Learning Hours call is scheduled for January 24, 2024, with Phabricator and Outreach Dashboard as tools in focus.
Indic Wikimedia Hackathon 2024
editThe Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Bhubaneswar 2024, held from December 20 to 22, 2024, successfully brought together developers, designers, and content editors from the Wikimedia community with a focus on building collaborative technical solutions for Wikimedia projects. The Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group (IMD-UG) along Odia Wikimedians User Group co-organised the event where CIS-A2K extended the support.
Participants engaged in a revised program format where curated tasks were presented rather than chosen on the first day. This approach fostered greater collaboration and allowed attendees to contribute meaningfully to significant development projects. A total of 39 scholarships and invitees were part of the event, with organisers supporting their travel, accommodation, and meals. Throughout the event, attendees participated in hacking sessions, technical consultations, and networking opportunities.
A session co-designed by CIS-A2K and the IMD-UG presented insights from a technical consultation project conducted by IMD-UG in five Indic languages. Tanveer from CIS-A2K connected the insights from this consultation to the Global Majority Wikimedia Technology Priorities, sharing how A2K’s work aligns with these priorities. He also facilitated a harmonisation exercise, where participants reviewed a list of tool categories to identify redundancies and proposed ways to consolidate functionalities, aiming to create more streamlined and efficient solutions.
Santali Food Festival
editThe Santali Food Festival, held on December 8 and 9, 2024, at the Museum of Santal Culture in Bishnubati, marked a significant celebration of Santali culinary heritage. This event was organized collaboratively by the Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust (GBAT) and CIS-A2K, following an exploratory visit to the museum in July 2024 that initiated partnerships with local organizations and experts.
The festival featured a seminar on Santali food on December 8, with notable speakers including Dr. Rahi Soren from Jadavpur University and Dr. Sibdas Baskey from Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya. The chief guest, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Binoy Kumar Saren, emphasized the importance of documenting indigenous food practices.
The food festival commenced at 3 PM, showcasing 30 traditional dishes prepared by 40 community members. Inaugural speeches were delivered by prominent figures including Dr. Dukhia Murmu and Dr. Kalachand Mahali. The event also featured vibrant music and dance performances, enriching the cultural experience.
On December 9, cultural programs highlighted Santal plays and performances by local villagers, further celebrating the community's rich traditions. Overall, the festival successfully promoted the documentation of Santali food culture while fostering community engagement and pride.
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Santal Museum day banner showing organiser and program details -
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Visitors enjoying recipes at the Santal Food Festival -
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Food preparation at Santal food festival -
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Coming Soon - Upcoming Activities
editShe Leads Bootcamp
editWe are excited to announce the She Leads Bootcamp 2025 to be held in Bengaluru from 31 January to 3 February 2025. Through this event, we aim to foster leadership among women wikimedians in India. Last Women’s day, we launched ‘She Leads’, a support initiative. The aim of this support initiative is to empower female Wikimedians and foster women's leadership within the Indian community. It's not just a one-time support, but rather an ongoing effort to offer a platform for them to design and implement activities aligned with their goals and aspirations. By encouraging their participation and providing resources, we aim to cultivate a more inclusive and diverse Wikimedia community. With She Leads Bootcamp, we aim to bring together women leaders from different communities to facilitate their growth and development. Stay tuned for more details in the next newsletter!