As Wikipedia marks its 20th anniversary in 2021, a growing group of young Africans are taking it upon themselves to create, expand, and enhance Wikipedia content about Africa, including the translation of more than 200 COVID-19 information on topics like vaccination and social distancing into more than 17 African languages.
Johannesburg, South Africa (09 March 2021) – Wikipedia is the 10th-most-visited website on earth, but when it comes to Africa, there is a scarcity of information for an entire continent of one billion people.
As Wikipedia marks its 20th anniversary in 2021, a growing group of young Africans are taking it upon themselves to create, expand, and enhance Wikipedia content about Africa, including the translation of more than 200 COVID-19 information on topics like vaccination and social distancing into more than 17 African languages.
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart,” – Nelson Mandela.
WikiAfrica Education is an independent project founded by the Moleskine Foundation that immerses young people in experiences that inspire them to participate in the production of knowledge, rather than just its consumption. Since its launch, it has generated over 40,000 Wikipedia contributions.
Their methodology leverages Wikipedia – as a central tool of our two primary activities: large-scale cultural events featuring edit-a-thon’s called ‘AfroCuration’, and in-school workshops. The program supports critical thinking, digital literacy, and multilingualism.
“Creativity itself is a function of knowledge. To unearth the socially-transformative potential of creativity- the generation of new and useful ideas – people must first have access to knowledge about themselves; their culture, their history, their environment, etc. WikiAfrica Education is an unconventional education format with the principal aim of increasing the quantity, quality and access to information about the African continent online, with a focus on indigenous languages. Our participants are youth and school students; they produce digital records of the country’s culture and history and grow to be knowledge producers, not simply consumers.”
“By immersing students in cultural experiences which combine knowledge, creativity, and activism, we initiate young people to actively participate in the production and recording of knowledge. Since its launch in 2006, it has generated over 40,000 contributions, including texts, quotes and images, as well as audio and video files.”
In addition, the Foundation also just launched a new podcast, titled Creativity Pioneers, with a focus on solving inequality & racial injustice through creativity.
Join the movement today by clicking here and help translate Covid-19 information on Wikipedia in African languages. Facilitate people understanding and creating new solutions.
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