Wikipack Africa is an offline action pack that contains the WikiFundi software, materials and content that facilitates the outreach work done by local Wikimedia chapters and user groups, or isolated individuals in African countries. This pack allows for new editor training and contribution to continue when technology fails or is inadequate, the internet is inaccessible, or the power goes...
Wikipack Africa is an offline action pack that contains the WikiFundi software, materials and content that facilitates the outreach work done by local Wikimedia chapters and user groups, or isolated individuals in African countries. This pack allows for new editor training and contribution to continue when technology fails or is inadequate, the internet is inaccessible, or the power goes out.
What’s in the pack?
Wikipack Africa empowers volunteer communities to grow as Wikimedia organisations pave the way for a self-reliant future. Further, it can be adapted to empower educators to assist with access to key educational resources, although it is primarily meant for individuals and groups who want to implement outreach projects, such as organising edit-a-thons, photo hunts, workshops, press conferences and so forth to promote Wikimedia projects.
Wikipack Africa was designed and created to support the WikiAfrica movement and 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 supported by the Orange Foundation. The Wikipack Africa’s documentation is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
If you are a Wikimedian or Wikimedia group working in Africa, you can apply for a Wikipack here.
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.
2006
2009
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
The organisations that have hosted or are collaborating on Wiki Africa projects include: