Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Baba Rajaofera:A Malagasy Revival Leader (ID: 23267472)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Olirasalt
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Baba Rajaofera: A Malagasy Revival Leader
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2025-09-01 - 2026-08-31
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Madagascar
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Other (please specify) Documenting Malagasy Religious and Revival History on Wikipedia – this project aims to write and publish the story of Baba Rajaofera, a pioneer in the Malagasy Fifohazana (revival) movement, whose contributions are currently undocumented on Wikimedia platforms. The project aligns with Wikimedia’s knowledge equity goals by highlighting underrepresented figures from Madagascar.
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
This proposal aims to recover and document the life and legacy of Baba Rajaofera, a key but currently undocumented figure in Madagascar’s religious and social history, by creating a well-sourced Wikipedia article and related multimedia content. Baba Rajaofera was the founder of Vatotsara, one of the revival centers (toby) of the Fifohazana movement—a major spiritual and cultural movement that still impacts millions in Madagascar today. Yet, despite his historical significance, there is no Wikipedia article or substantial online content about him in any language. This project seeks to address the knowledge gap around underrepresented African historical and religious figures, particularly from the Global South, and to contribute to the Wikimedia Movement’s mission of knowledge equity. The broader change is to help Malagasy and international audiences access this important piece of religious, cultural, and historical heritage, and to encourage the inclusion of local narratives in global knowledge platforms. Main Challenges:
- Lack of accessible documentation: Baba Rajaofera’s life is mostly preserved through oral history and church tradition. The only book that fully documents his biography is in Norwegian (Madagaskar for Kristus), inaccessible to most potential readers in Madagascar and the world.
- Linguistic barriers: The absence of English or Malagasy sources limits the ability to create Wikipedia content and reach both local and global audiences.
- Systemic knowledge bias: African Christian movements and non-Western revival traditions are still largely missing from platforms like Wikipedia, reinforcing knowledge gaps and cultural invisibility.
- Limited Wikipedia editing capacity in Madagascar: There is a need to empower local contributors to document their own history meaningfully and accurately.
Strategies and Approaches: 1. Translation as Access and Equity Strategy Translating the only known biography of Baba Rajaofera from Norwegian into English makes a hidden narrative visible and usable for Wikipedia documentation and academic reference. This is a strategic intervention because language is the main barrier preventing this story from being shared. Making this source accessible allows Wikipedia editors (local and global) to rely on verifiable, secondary material in article creation. 2. Heritage Documentation and Community Memory Strategy By consulting church archives, historical photographs, and oral testimonies, we will fill in gaps, verify key details, and complement the translated material with indigenous perspectives. This strategy is essential because Baba Rajaofera’s legacy is deeply embedded in living memory and local religious institutions, not widely available in published forms. 3. Knowledge Equity and Representation Strategy Publishing Wikipedia content in English, Malagasy and French ensures that both global and local communities benefit. Adding this content in underrepresented languages also supports the movement’s linguistic diversity goals and encourages ownership of local knowledge. 4. Capacity Building Strategy We will engage theological students, Wikimedians, and church historians through small workshops and collaborative writing sessions. This supports local capacity in editing and heritage preservation, building a bridge between academia, religious communities, and open knowledge. Why These Approaches? These approaches are grounded in the belief that translating key historical texts, collecting and verifying sources, and building local capacity are the most sustainable ways to create high-quality Wikipedia content that endures. They are also supported by research in decolonizing knowledge and oral history preservation, which shows that marginalized histories become visible when communities are engaged in documenting their own past using accessible platforms. We believe this proposal will positively affect:
- Malagasy Wikipedia users and educators, who will gain access to reliable, sourced information about a foundational figure in their culture and faith.
- Global readers and researchers, who will be exposed to a unique example of indigenous revival Christianity and its impact on society.
- The wider Wikimedia community, as it continues efforts to make knowledge truly global and inclusive.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
N/A
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | ||
| Number of editors | ||
| Number of organizers |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
N/A
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
No
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).