Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Lesotho Chronicles in Sesotho - Digital Preservation and Oral History Expedition:Kingdom of Lesotho (ID: 23929930)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
KeMang?? (talk • accounts • contributions • edit count)
- 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)
I'm a group leader of an informal Wikimedia group.
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
I am a founding member of the Lubombo-Maloti Wikimedia User Groups, which is a Southern African volunteer Wikimedia User Group founded on 23 December 2025 and focused on documentin, preserving, and expanding freely accessible knowledge about the histories, cultures languages, and political traditions of Southern Africa.
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Lesotho Chronicles in Sesotho - Digital Preservation and Oral History Expedition: Kingdom of Lesotho
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-09-23 - 2026-12-23
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Regional (more than one country in the same continent or region) South Africa and Lesotho
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Not applicable
- 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)
Background Sesotho (Southern Sotho) is a language spoken by more than five million people in Southern Africa. It is an official language in both Lesotho and South Africa and plays a central role in Basotho cultural identity, education, and heritage. Despite Lesotho's rich history, distinct cultural heritage, and high literacy rates, the country remains profoundly underrepresented across Wikimedia platforms.
My project addresses critical systemic gaps regarding content about Lesotho on Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, focusing on three core areas:
1. Missing Content: Numerous notable Basotho figures, historical landmarks, local geographical features, and cultural traditions completely lack Wikipedia articles. This digital absence excludes Lesotho's narrative from the global knowledge base. My project aims to address the significant gaps, fragmentation and poor referencing in the history of the Kingdom of Lesotho
2. Biased & Outdated Narratives: Existing articles about Lesotho are frequently written from an external, Western, or purely colonial perspective. This results in systemic bias where the country is framed primarily through lenses of economic struggle, conflict, or geopolitical dependency, omitting local nuances, systemic resilience, and successful community-led initiatives. I aim to consult archives and academic materials at the University of Maseru Library and Lesotho National Archives, as Wikipedia currently lacks important content on the Basotho royal and chiefly lineages, early kings and chiefs, regents, settlements, and roles and origins of related clans, e.g., the Bataung, Basia, Bafokeng, etc. The goal is to research archived historical texts and academic papers at the Maseru University's History Library and the Lesotho National Archives in order to write, expand and interlink or interconnect these articles with strong references, as part of achieving the mission of the Wikimedia in improving coverage of underrepresented subjects (i.e., African traditional systems)
So, the change I am trying to bring or working toward is to have a more comprehensive, detailed, interconnected and well-referenced representation of Basotho history (like royal European histories)
3. Articles Needing Urgent Improvement: A significant portion of live Lesotho-related articles are stubs or suffer from warnings regarding poor citation structures, lack of localized references, and outdated data. They require expansion, copyediting, and updating with reliable, contemporary secondary sources. Most existing content is either brief, inaccurate, not properly referenced with verified sources, or are disconnected from one another.
4. Wikimedia Commons Deficit: High-quality, freely licensed media capturing Lesotho’s unique landscapes, architecture, cultural ceremonies, and daily life are severely lacking. The lack of visual documentation prevents the world from seeing the authentic Kingdom in the Sky. By activating and training local editors, this project intends to bridge these knowledge gaps. Sesotho is also written using two standardized orthographies, which is a concern and challenge: The Lesotho orthography, which uses diacritics and is historically rooted in missionary scholarship, and the South African orthography, standardized through national language authorities. Both orthographies represent the same language but differ in spelling conventions.
On Sesotho Wikipedia, these orthographic differences create several challenges:
1.) Inconsistent articles, where spelling conventions are mixed without guidance.
2.) Editor conflict and discouragement, as contributors revert each other’s edits based on orthography rather than content quality.
3.) Translation difficulties, especially when using the Wikipedia content translation tool.
4.) Low awareness and participation in Lesotho, where many potential contributors are unfamiliar with Wikipedia editing in Sesotho.
These challenges reduce article quality, limit editor retention, and affect reader confidence
Change the project seeks to bring
This project aims to improve the quality, consistency, and sustainability of Sesotho Wikipedia by -1.) The creation or improvement of articles about early Basotho kings, queens, regents, royal residences, burial sites, and areas of military expansions -2.) adding historical context on clans and their maternal or paternal roles in shaping the Lesotho kingdom, -3.) digitalising existing archival material housed at the Maseru University and Lesotho National Archives. The change we aim to bring is the democratization and digital preservation of Lesotho’s unique cultural and historical narrative. Currently, Basotho heritage—ranging from oral traditions and folklore to architectural and historical landmarks—is significantly underrepresented or absent from digital encyclopaedic spaces. By executing this project, we are: Transforming visibility and moving critical heritage from localized, physical archives (such as the Morija Museum) into the global digital commons.
Bridging the language gap: Significantly expanding the Sesotho language presence on Wikipedia, ensuring that indigenous knowledge is accessible to local speakers in their own language. We are building local capacity by establishing a sustainable mentorship model that empowers contributors (such as my mentee, DC) to become retained in the movement and also to be skilled heritage practitioners capable of leading future digital preservation efforts. We will also be facilitating Wikipedia advocacy in Lesotho and also engaging as well as recruiting potential Sesotho editors. 5. Empowering the Basotho (PHASE 2): Training and empowering the community to document their own heritage ensures that content about Lesotho is accurate, comprehensive, diverse, and visually vibrant across the Wikimedia ecosystem
- 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.
Pre-trip preparations (Started June-August 2026) Engaged institutions for letters of support, mapping routes, compiling list of books, sources, and documents, (Planned Activities (Month 1, September 2026) 1. Pre-Trip Preparation & Institutional Liaison
- Finalize Archival Partnerships: Conclude formal arrangements and coordinate with the Morija Museum and Archives, the Limkokwing University of Technology, the University of Maseru, and relevant community stakeholders at Thaba Bosiu to ensure access for documentation.
- Logistical Coordination: Secure hired local transport services and finalize shared accommodation in Maseru.
- Research & Planning: Conduct preliminary research on target historical figures, oral history subjects, and heritage sites to ensure efficient use of time during the 5-day window.
2. Fieldwork (5-Day Intensive Expedition)
- Oral History Collection: Conduct and record (audio/video) interviews with community elders, historians, and local experts to capture intangible cultural heritage.
- Digital Heritage Documentation: Site visits to Thaba Bosiu and the Morija Museum to capture high-resolution photography of artifacts, architectural patterns, and landscape features.
- Mentorship-in-Action: Facilitate "on-the-job" training for the Research Fellow (DC) in ethical documentation, archival photography standards, and metadata collection techniques.
3. Post-Trip Digital Processing & Publication (October-December 2026)
- Media Curation & Uploads: Process the 500+ photographs, including writing descriptive metadata, categorizing files, and uploading them to Wikimedia Commons.
- Content Creation & Translation: Systematically draft 50 new articles in English and 100 in Sesotho while improving 50 more existing entries based on the new archival data collected.
- Recruit and train at least 10 editors (Virtually over the period of the project)
4. Evaluation & Reporting (Month 2-3, October-December 2026)
- Project Documentation: Compile the final report, including links to all created/improved articles and uploaded images.
- Community Sharing: Share the project outcomes with the Wikimedia Foundation and partner institutions (Morija Museum & Archives, Limkonkwing University of Technology, and University of Maseru). Write a DIFF report on the project and expedition.
- 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.
This project is a collaborative effort led by Twin Mosia (User: KeMang??), an experienced Wikipedian, event organizer, professional museum curator, and digital archivist; and DC (User: Mmaditopo), a researcher, Wikipedian, and volunteer currently under his mentorship. This mission serves as a critical capacity-building exercise for DC, who is being trained as a woman in heritage documentation, metadata standards, and digital storytelling within the Wikimedia ecosystem.
Twin Mosia (Lead): Responsible for project oversight; archival liaison with institutions such as the Morija Museum and Archives, Limkonkwing University of Technology, and Maseru University; and technical quality control of historical records.
DC (Research Fellow): Responsible for the active collection of oral histories, community engagement, and front-line content creation for the Sesotho Wikipedia, under the mentorship of the lead. DC joined Wikipedia in 2024 as the only woman contributor to our small community; she has been active since, playing the role of a coordinator for our projects as well as managing our museum's library collection. She has been trained and has led a few edit-a-thons and workshops where she is engaging and lobbying for more women's representation.
By working as a team, we ensure gradual capture of historical data, facts, sources, and references, ensuring good-quality articles. Of importance also is the mentorship of a new voice in the GLAM movement, ensuring that the skills required to preserve Lesotho’s history are sustained and expanded.
- 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)
Our primary participants are the custodians of Basotho heritage in Lesotho, including students, historians, chiefs, elders, and local experts associated with the Morija Museum and Archives, the University of Maseru, and the Thaba Bosiu historical site. Additionally, our secondary target participant is the emerging research fellow (DC), who is the primary beneficiary of our mentorship program, and the broader Sesotho-speaking Wikipedia community, which will benefit from the new and improved content.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
No
- 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.
This project was developed through active consultation with heritage stakeholders and the Wikimedia Sesotho community. Our steps taken include:
Engaging with the leadership of the Morija Museum and Archives and the University of Maseru to ensure our digital preservation objectives align with their existing archival mandates. This ensures that the digital content we create complements their physical preservation work. We discussed the expedition’s goals with local community members and heritage practitioners in the Free State and Lesotho to identify priority areas for oral history collection and photographic documentation.
- 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)
Language
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Culture, heritage or GLAM
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Linguistic / Language
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Through this project, I intend to bridge the gap between physical archival practice and digital accessibility. My primary objective is to evaluate how intensive short-term documentation missions can yield high-quality, sustainable contributions to Wikimedia projects. I have structured my learning goals around the following:
- How does a 'learning-by-doing' mentorship model within an intensive field-expedition format impact the long-term contribution rate and editing confidence of an emerging researcher?
- What are the most effective workflows for converting physical oral histories and museum-held archival data into structured, cited Wikimedia content in underrepresented languages like Sesotho?
Does the concentrated creation of 100 new Sesotho articles act as a catalyst for local community engagement and further volunteer participation on the Sesotho Wikipedia? How can a two-person team optimize field logistics (transport, power, and data connectivity) to maximize documentation output in areas with limited infrastructure? Working outside of my region or country, I am looking to learn how I will be able to forge meaningful and successful collaboration relationships outside my comfort zone.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 10 | Aiming to recruit at least 10 new editors in Lesotho |
| Number of editors | 10 | |
| Number of organizers | 2 | One in Lesotho and one in South Africa |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 150 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 500 |
| Wikidata | 50 |
| 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)
Yes
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| New recruits | 10 new recruits in Lesotho, create accounts and train them how to edit and translate in Sesotho. | 150 |
| 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)
Dashboard and XTools
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nTpMXdS-fnyuZYpIFo4Rf_6rfbFW6O06HWyra00_BVM/edit?usp=sharing
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
54237.09 ZAR
- 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.
3311.58 USD
- By submitting your proposal/funding request you confirm that you have read and agree to the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy, and the Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
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).