Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group/Reports/2020-2021

The Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group 2020 - 2021 report presents all the activities carried out by the members of Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group. These activities mainly involved a restructuring of our unit, campaigns carried out across the country and participation in multiple international events (mostly online due to the resurgence of COVID-19).

The major point of this period of activities is the introduction of an equity of representativeness of projects in four regions (Center, Littoral, South-West and Far-North) where focal points of the user group are located.

Training and edit actions

Some projects supported by the Wikimedia Foundation, notably Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata have interested contributors during the aforementioned period. Initiatives have also emerged mainly the African German Phrase Book project.

Actions funded by the Wikimedia Foundation

Training

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata and Lingualibre sessions were learned to new members and updated for old members.

Editathon

Many editathons were done during the period of 2020 - 2021.

Campaigns

During the year 2021, despite the persistent health context, Cameroon continued to participate in several campaigns organized by the Wikimedia movement. For the year 2021 alone, we can list:

Wiki Loves Africa 2021 in Cameroon

Wiki Loves Africa 2021 in Cameroon was host in Maroua (activation), Yaounde, Douala and Buea. Report is available here.

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WikilovesEarth 2021 in Cameroon

WikilovesEarth 2021 in Cameroon was organized in Yaounde (activation), Douala, Buea and Maroua. Report is available here.

Wikipedia Pages Wanting Pictures 2021 in Cameroon

Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos 2021 in Cameroon's report is also available here.

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Actions requested by partners

Wikichallenge Ecoles d'Afrique project

The Wikichallenge Ecoles d'Afrique project is a competition organised by WikiAfrica and dedicated to 9-13 year-old students in several French-speaking African countries, Cameroon had to support in the execution of said project in 2021 in participation with the network of digital schools under the support of the Orange Foundation. This project was led by Minette Lontsi.

Nos jardins

Nos jardins, through various associations in Cameroon, a South African organisation “Wiki In Africa” and a Swiss organisation, the Ynternet.org Foundation, of public utility, is a project which allows actors of the civil society of Cameroon, and the Switzerland, to develop and transfer their knowledge of digital and collaborative skills to their peers. This project was also led by Minette Lontsi.

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African German Phrase-Book

Initiated in 2019 with the support of the Goethe Institute of Cameroon, the project called African German Phrase-Book (AGPB) consists of the creation of a collection of words, phrases and lexicographical information of words and expressions in African languages, in writing and pronunciation.

During the year 2021, the project was extended to become the African-German Phrases for Sub-Sahara languages. About fifteen WCUG members, voluntary contributors, took part in more than ten online and physical training sessions to contribute mainly on the Wikidata platform. These training and contribution sessions made it possible to obtain a database of daily words and expressions in Cameroonian national languages from several cultural eras: yambetta, yangben, pidgin, medumba, haussa, fe'fe ', eton, among others.

Another part of the project consisted in the recruitment and training of new language contributors in order to create a new database with new elements in the national languages of their choice. During the month of December 2021, through online training sessions, contributors were trained in the use of the Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons platforms. These two platforms make it possible to create new items in terms of multimedia and writing. The training is planned to continue in 2022 in order to obtain new collections of words and expressions in Cameroonian and Other African languages created by these contributors.

A team has also been built around the conception and development of a platform which would be used to learn these local languages and an their equivalent translations in other languages which will mainly be powered by Wikidata.

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Actions requested by members

In November, Bile René asked Wikimedia France to offer training to students from Maroua. This having resulted according to its objectives in the creation of some articles and the uploading of media allowing to enrich the local content.

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International participations

WikidataCon 2021

WikiConvention francophone 2021

Wiki Indaba 2021

Residence organised for vaccination against Covid-19

Regular associative functioning

Local organisation

A general assembly of the Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group was organised on Saturday February 27, 2021 in a room of the Goethe Institute of Cameroon in Yaoundé. This meeting consisted of proofreading the texts of the association, as well as the election of the provisional office of the User Group.

Its main mission is to lead the activities and projects of the User Group. This bureau will also have to see to the completion of the association's texts in French and English in order to lead to the election of a final office of the User Group.

Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group participated on Wednesday December 1st, 2021 to the training hold by U. Jung on thematic of Archives (GLAM) in a room of the Goethe Institute of Cameroon in Yaoundé.

Partnerships

Wikimedia Foundation, Goethe Institute, Code for Africa, Pegniyi Consulting