WikiLinguila/reports/Annual/2023-2024
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The WikiLinguila Community User Group presents its annual report on this page, outlining its achievements and activities organized for the year 2023-2024.
Activities and Achievements
editLaunch of the "Wiki na monɔkɔ mua bísó" Campaign
editIn November 2023, we launched the "Wiki na monɔkɔ mua bísó" campaign with the goal of boosting volunteer contributions to Wikimedia projects. This initiative aimed to bridge the gap between large Wikipedias and smaller ones by increasing the number of articles and contributors in minority languages such as Lingala (ln), Kikongo (kg), and Tshiluba (lua). The project also extended to Translatewiki and, to a lesser extent, the Wiktionary in Lingala. In mid-January, an online meeting gathered various African communities to present this linguistic project, generating strong commitment to actively participate in this international language competition in February 2025[1].
The campaign evolved into "WikiForMotherTongue", attracting contributors from around the world. Partners such as Wikitongues and EduWiki Nigeria involved their members with direct initiatives. In Central Africa, over 40 contributors actively participated in editing encyclopedic pages. "WikiForMotherTongue" will potentially become an annual competition in February to celebrate International Mother Language Day, thus enhancing the visibility, diversity, and inclusion of mother languages on Wikimedia[2].
At the end of February 2024, we collaborated with the Embassy of Sweden and Radio de la Femme to create Wikipedia articles about Congolese women, continuing the efforts of previous WikiGap campaigns in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The event, held at Silikin Village in Kinshasa, mobilized over 20 contributors using Wikipedia's automatic translation tool to produce content in local languages. The articles were published on March 8, 2024, in commemoration of International Women's Rights Day.
This collaboration enriched the representation of Congolese women on Wikipedia and supported the visibility of women in local languages. The partnership strengthened the presence of Congolese women on Wikipedia and promoted their visibility in local languages[3].
Nixon Mukoko’s Intervention at Launch Events in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire
editOn March 1, 2024, Nixon Mukoko, co-founder of WikiLinguila, certified trainer for the "Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom" program, and member of the regional funding committee for sub-Saharan Africa, was invited to Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. He mentored leaders of Wikimedia user groups in the Republic of Congo and participated as a panelist at the Francophone University Agency of Marien Ngouabi University for the launch of the Francophone Contribution Month. He also presented the "Wiki Loves Africa 2024" competition with the theme "Creative Africa".
This intervention highlighted WikiLinguila’s efforts and boosted participation in Wikimedia competitions in the region. It contributed to strengthening local networks and promoting Wikimedia contests in Francophone Africa.
In April 2024, following our advocacy for contributions in native languages, the Permanent Secretariat for the National Commission of UNESCO in the DRC recognized WikiLinguila’s efforts to promote the cultural and linguistic heritage of Central Africa. This recognition was preceded by support from the Wikimedia Foundation through its Facebook and Twitter channels.
The official recognition valued our contribution to the preservation and promotion of African languages and cultures. It significantly increased the credibility and visibility of WikiLinguila’s initiatives as a UNESCO club in the cultural and linguistic field[4].
Selection of a Wikitongues Scholar
editIn May 2024, Wikitongues selected one of our members for a scholarship as part of its language revitalization program, starting in September 2024 for a duration of one year. Kikongo will be highlighted on Wikipedia, with ongoing collaboration with linguists to enrich the Wiktionary and the Wikipedia in Tshiluba, currently being developed from the Wikimedia projects incubator.
Significant content development in Kikongo and the enhancement of resources available on Wikipedia for this language were achieved. This initiative made a significant contribution to the revitalization and visibility of the Kikongo language.
In June 2024, we participated in two-day workshops organized at the Memling Hotel in Kinshasa by IRI, USAID, IFES, MONUSCO, and CENI. We shared our experience on gender-related activities in the DRC, highlighting the WikiGap and WikiNkento campaigns in our national languages[5].
Presenting the successes of our campaigns allowed us to share our expertise with international stakeholders. This participation showcased Wikimedia projects and recognized WikiLinguila’s efforts within the global Wikimedia movement[6].
Launch of the Training of Trainers Program
editIn July 2024, we launched a trainer training program to strengthen new communities in targeted linguistic areas: Kinshasa and Brazzaville for Lingala, Matadi and Pointe-Noire for Kikongo, and Mbujimayi for Tshiluba. We also included the Great Lakes regions for Swahili, although our main focus is on Lingala, Kikongo, and Tshiluba, languages underrepresented on the web and notably on Wikipedia and its sister projects.
The training and certification of new trainers were completed, with a particular emphasis on gender parity among trainers. This reinforced local capacities and improved coverage of minority languages on Wikimedia projects.
Launch of the "WikiNkento" Campaign
editIn August 2024, following the WikiGap campaign, we launched "WikiNkento", an initiative aimed at promoting the visibility of African women in African languages on Wikipedias in the Central Africa region. This campaign, which began in July and ended in August 2024, brought together nearly 46 participants[7].
The campaign saw active participation in the contest and reward programs, encouraging contributions in local languages. It increased the representation of African women on digital platforms while supporting linguistic diversity.
Launch of the "Wiki Loves Earth 2024" Campaign in Congo-Kinshasa
editIn August 2024, we launched "Wiki Loves Earth 2024" in Congo-Kinshasa to promote the country’s natural heritage. This campaign, within our operational geographic area of Central Africa, highlights the most spoken languages in the region.
The campaign showcased the natural heritage of Congo-Kinshasa through a dedicated contest. It raised awareness of the country’s environmental richness and promoted the natural beauty of the Grand Congo.
Matadi and Mbujimayi have welcomed WikiLinguila activities both online and in person. Thanks to the training of trainers program, an internal initiative by the group to support local organizers and leaders wishing to guide their respective communities, we have successfully reached two new cities in the DRC. This expansion has allowed us to contribute to Wikipedia in Kikongo (Kg) and the Tshiluba (Lua) test Wikipedia from the incubator, in addition to Wikipedia in Lingala (Ln) for Kinshasa.
- We have observed significant progress in our initiative (on 31-Aug-24)
- Wikipedia in Lingala (Ln) has increased from 3400 to 4066 articles with 44 active contributors.
- Wikipedia in Kikongo (Kg) has grown from 1100 to 1361 articles with 29 active contributors.
- The Tshiluba (Lua) test Wikipedia has advanced from 2 to 545 articles with 15 active contributors.
The Kikongo edition was officially launched in August 2004, but became active in March 2006. We choose to celebrate it in March 2026 (Ngônda ya lubutuku sambu Wikipedia).
The Lingala edition was launched in January 2005, and we prefer to celebrate Wikipedia in Lingala every January during Wikipedia's anniversary (Sánzá mpɔ̂ na mbótama ya Wikipedia).
The progress achieved is substantial, remarkable, and commendable[8].
Additionally, we organized another online meeting featuring experienced Wikimedians from Francophone communities. This session aimed to share their experiences with our contributors and prepare them for the upcoming radio program on women's issues before the implementation of WikiNkento.
References
edit- ↑ "Prendre en mains l’avenir des versions linguistiques des projets Wikimédia". https://diff.wikimedia.org/. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ↑ "The mother-tongue contribution month". Diff (in en-US). 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
- ↑ NK, dk (2024-03-09). "JIF 2024 : l'ambassade de Suède fait du coup des projecteurs des femmes sur Wikipédia son cheval de bataille !". Radio de la Femme (in fr-FR). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ↑ "Partenariat Officiel : Vers de nouvelles horizons, WikiLinguila et l’UNESCO scellent leur collaboration en RDC". https://diff.wikimedia.org/. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ↑ "RDC/Elections locales: clôture de l’atelier sur la participation qualitative des femmes pour une décentralisation inclusive, plusieurs propositions de réformes élaborées". Actualite.cd (in French). 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ↑ "WikiLinguila’s Participation in the Practical Workshop on Local Elections: Towards Inclusive Decentralization with Qualitative Participation of Women". Diff (in en-US). 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Rédaction, by (2024-08-18). "Kinshasa | Formation sur l’édition d'articles Wikipédia en lingala pou". SASA STUDIO (in fr-FR). Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ↑ "Significant Progress by WikiLinguila: Advances, Campaigns, and Future Projects". Diff (in en-US). 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.