WikiChallenge African Schools is a multi-national contest that creates a fun way for students to learn how knowledge is built by contributing to Vikidia, the little sister of Wikipedia dedicated to children aged 8-15 years. The contest challenges schools across the continent to compete by writing Vikidia articles about something of importance in their area. They can use the WikiFundi platform to...
WikiChallenge African Schools is a multi-national contest that creates a fun way for students to learn how knowledge is built by contributing to Vikidia, the little sister of Wikipedia dedicated to children aged 8-15 years.
The contest challenges schools across the continent to compete by writing Vikidia articles about something of importance in their area. They can use the WikiFundi platform to share knowledge about their unique city, town, village or suburb, a local landmark or a notable individual.
The competition is a fun introduction to writing Vikidia articles, a content that can be transferred and will add information about Africa to Wikipedia, the global online encyclopedia. It also provides young Africans with an opportunity to learn more about their communities, cultures, role models and environments.
The contest takes place in eight countries across Africa in October and November 2017. The challenge will only be held in French.
WikiChallenge African Schools was designed and created to support the development of the next generation of Wikimedia volunteers across Africa. It has been developed by Florence Devouard and Isla Haddow-Flood at Wiki In Africa. The proof of concept has been conducted in collaboration with Wikimedia CH and funded by the Orange Foundation.
WikiAfrica is an international movement that takes place on the African continent and beyond. It encourages individuals, interested groups and organisations to create, expand and enhance online content about Africa. This involves motivating for the representation of the continent’s contemporary realities and history, its peoples and its innovations on the world’s most used encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. WikiAfrica is not owned by one organisation and it belongs to all people and organisations contributing to its scope.
In its various guises and hosted at several institutions (including Lettera27, Africa Centre, Ynternet.org, and Wikimedia CH), the WikiAfrica movement has consistently instigated and led multi-faceted innovative projects. These projects have activated communities and driven content onto Wikipedia. Examples include Share Your Knowledge, #OpenAfrica training Courses and Toolkits, Kumusha Bus (in Ethiopia and Ghana), WikiEntrepreneur (in Ethiopia and Malawi), Kumusha Takes Wiki (Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda) and Wiki Loves Africa.
Over 2016/17 it is working on Wiki Loves Women (in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut), WikiPack Africa, WikiFundi and the WikiChallenge African Schools (funded by the Orange Foundation), WikiAfrica Schools (funded by lettera27), Wikipedia Primary (funded by SUPSI) and Wiki Loves Africa (funded by Wikimedia Foundation).
WikiAfrica was started in 2006 as a collaboration between Wikimedia IT and lettera27, since then – via the support of several organisations and the work of a few people – it has grown to embrace the continent and build communities. It has been pivotal in driving the current contributions done by communities across sub-Saharan Africa.
The projects detailed below form the main backbone of the WikiAfrica movement. They have all been conceptualised, instigated and led by three members of Wiki In Africa, although until 2017 through the agency or fiscal sponsorship of different organisations.
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The organisations that have hosted or are collaborating on Wiki Africa projects include:
