Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Open Heritage:Documenting Northern Nigerian Cultures, Festivals, and Emirates on Wikimedia (ID: 23741619)
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds, where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.
Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Gwanki
- Organization
Hadaka Open Learning Network
- 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 board member or president of a Wikimedia Affiliate or mission-allied organization., I'm a bank account signatory for the joint bank account of a Wikimedia affiliate, group, or organization.
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
This project is implemented by Hadaka Open Learning Network.
- Abubakar Ali (User:Gwanki) is the President of the organization and the Project Lead. He will lead all project activities, partnerships, coordination, and reporting.
- Sulaiman Muhd Hassan (User:A Sulaiman Z) is the Treasurer. He will manage the project budget, payments, and financial reporting. The bank account is held in the name of Hadaka Open Learning Network.
- Yusuf Saad (User:Mahuta) is the Secretary. He will support documentation, meeting records, and internal coordination.
- Abubakar Sadiq (User:Mr. Snatch) is the Public Relations Officer (PRO). He will handle community outreach, participant recruitment, and communication with partners.
All roles are held by members of Hadaka Open Learning Network.
- No Wikimedia Foundation staff or contractors are involved.
- No individual is applying on behalf of two different organizations.
- This is an organizational grant application by Hadaka Open Learning Network.
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Open Heritage: Documenting Northern Nigerian Cultures, Festivals, and Emirates on Wikimedia
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-04-03 - 2026-05-31
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Nigeria
- 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)
We want to make Northern Nigerian cultures, festivals, and emirate traditions more visible and complete on Wikimedia Projects. Many major festivals and emirates in Northern Nigeria are underrepresented on Wikimedia projects. For example, while the Durbar festival is mentioned in a few general articles, there are almost no detailed pages documenting how it is uniquely celebrated in emirates such as Rano, Kazaure, and Daura. Important cultural events like Hawan Daushe in Daura also lack dedicated articles and freely licensed media on Wikimedia Commons. Likewise, emirates such as Kazaure and Rano do not yet have comprehensive, well-sourced Wikipedia articles, and their corresponding Wikidata entries are missing key historical and geographic data. This creates a significant content gap that limits global access to Northern Nigerian cultural heritage.
The main problems we are solving are:
- Limited digital documentation and freely licensed media for many festivals and traditions.
- Knowledge held mostly by elders and custodians, which risks being lost over time.
- Low awareness among local youth and cultural custodians about how to contribute to Wikimedia Projects.
To solve these problems, we will use these strategies:
- Community training and capacity building: We will train local youth, cultural custodians, and festival participants to contribute to Wikimedia Projects. Training has been shown to help communities continue adding content after the project ends.
- Collaboration with custodians: Working closely with emirate officials, festival organizers, and elders will help ensure the content is accurate and culturally sensitive.
- Organized content creation contests: We will run contests for updating and improving existing content and adding new content on all relevant Wikimedia Projects, including articles, media, structured data, travel guides, and Hausa vocabulary. This will motivate community participation and ensure wide coverage.
Through these approaches, we aim to make Northern Nigerian cultural heritage more visible, accessible, and preserved for both local and global audiences. This will help people learn, experience, and value these traditions now and in the future.
- 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.
This project will include a series of in-person and online activities to document and share Northern Nigerian cultural heritage on Wikimedia Projects. We will organize in-person programs in three historic and culturally rich emirates: Kazaure town in Jigawa State, Rano town in Kano State, and Daura town in Katsina State. These locations were selected because they are among the richest in Hausa traditional culture and heritage.
During the in-person programs, participants will be trained on how to contribute to our target Wikimedia Projects, including Hausa and English Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and English Wikivoyage. Activities will include hands-on editing, uploading freely licensed media, creating structured data items, and developing travel guides. We will also work with local elders and cultural custodians to record oral histories and traditional knowledge, which will be documented and added to Wikimedia Projects.
In addition, we will organize two online training sessions for Wikimedians who cannot attend in-person events. These sessions will focus on editing, contribution skills, and media uploads to ensure wide participation across Northern Nigeria.
After the trainings, we will hold a writing contest for participants to update and create new articles, upload media, and contribute structured data. Prizes will be shared to motivate participation and recognize outstanding contributions.
Through these activities, we aim to build the capacity of participants, increase the visibility of Hausa festivals, emirate traditions, and cultural heritage, and create a lasting record on Wikimedia Projects.
- 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.
The project is implemented by Hadaka Open Learning Network. Our team consists of experienced Wikimedians and community volunteers. All team members are aware of their involvement in this project.
- Abubakar Ali Gwanki - Project Lead (
Gwanki has been an active Wikimedian since 2013 and has organized Wikimedia projects since 2021, including Wikimedia Awareness at Northwest University Kano. He is an administrator on Hausa Wikipedia for 6 years, with major contributions on English Wikipedia, Wikidata, and other Wikimedia Projects. He received the Best Indigenous Language Contributor of the Year 2024 award from Wikimedia User Group Nigeria at WikiConference Nigeria in Abuja. He will serve as the overall coordinator of this project.
- Yusuf Sa’du Mahuta - Secretary and Training Lead
Mahuta is an administrator on Hausa Wikipedia and one of the most active Wikimedians from Northern Nigeria. He has organized and facilitated several Wikimedia projects across the region, including awareness and training programs at different universities. He brings strong experience in training new editors and ensuring quality contributions.
- Abubakar Sadiq Mr. Snatch - Public Relations Officer and Community Outreach Lead
Mr. Snatch is a graduate of the University of Maiduguri and has led several Wikimedia projects in Borno and Yobe States. He organized Wikimedia Awareness at the University of Maiduguri and has facilitated many Wikimedia events across Northern Nigeria. He will coordinate outreach activities, especially in the North East, and connect with students, cultural custodians, and local partners.
- Sulaiman Muhd Hassan A Sulaiman Z - Treasurer and Finance Lead
A Sulaiman Z is an administrator on Hausa Wikipedia and an experienced Wikimedia projects organizer. He has organized and facilitated several Wikimedia events in Northern Nigeria, with special focus on Hausa content contribution and community building. He will manage the project budget and financial reporting and also serve as a facilitator.
Non-Wikimedian Support Team
- Local Cultural Custodians - Community Partners
Traditional leaders, elders, and festival organizers from different emirates will support the project by sharing oral histories, verifying cultural information, and guiding culturally sensitive documentation.
- Photographers - Media Documentation
Local photographers will support festival and cultural documentation and help capture photos and videos for upload to Wikimedia Commons under free licenses.
- Youth Volunteers - Community Mobilization
Local youth volunteers will help with participant recruitment, logistics, and on-ground support during trainings and documentation activities.
All team members are either volunteers or short-term project contractors. No Wikimedia Foundation staff or contractors are involved in this 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)
The target participants are youth volunteers, local photographers, cultural custodians, festival organizers, and new and existing Wikimedians from Northern Nigeria. This includes people from different emirates, Hausa-speaking communities, and students who are interested in culture, history, and open knowledge.
Our main focus is on communities in Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Daura, Sokoto, and other nearby emirate areas where Sallah festivals, Durbar, and Hawan Salla traditions are practiced.
Engagement Before Activities Before the activities, we will engage participants through:
- Community outreach by our Public Relations Officer and local volunteers
- Announcements on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Wikimedia community groups
- Direct invitations to youth groups, cultural associations, and emirate councils
- Introductory online meetings to explain the project goals and how people can take part
This early engagement will help build interest, trust, and readiness among participants.
Engagement During Activities During the activities, we will:
- Organize in-person and online training workshops on contributing to Wikimedia Projects
- Provide hands-on support and mentoring during edit-a-thons and contests
- Work closely with cultural custodians and elders to guide accurate documentation
- Encourage teamwork between experienced Wikimedians and new editors
This approach will help participants feel supported and confident while contributing.
Follow-Up After Activities After the activities, we will:
- Create WhatsApp and Telegram groups for continued communication
- Offer ongoing mentorship and support for new contributors
- Track contributions and recognize active participants
- Share project reports and learning outcomes with the community
- 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.
The idea of this project was shared and discussed with our community members and relevant groups to ensure collaboration and alignment with existing Wikimedia activities in Northern Nigeria.
We took the following steps to involve the community in planning:
- Shared the project proposal in WhatsApp groups with Wikimedians and local volunteers, inviting feedback and suggestions.
- Posted and discussed the proposal on the Hausa Wikipedia Discussion page, where experienced editors provided input on content priorities and community needs.
- Consulted with cultural custodians, local youth groups, and festival organizers to ensure the project respects traditions and focuses on underrepresented areas.
- Coordinated with other Wikimedia projects and ongoing initiatives in Northern Nigeria to avoid overlap and encourage collaboration.
These discussions helped refine the project plan, define activities, and ensure that participants are aware of and support the project.
- 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)
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)
Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Innovate in Free Knowledge
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Through this project, we hope to learn how effectively we can document and share Northern Nigerian cultural heritage on Wikimedia Projects. We want to understand how community members, including youth, cultural custodians, and festival organizers, engage with editing, contributing media, and creating structured data. We also want to learn which approaches work best for motivating participation, maintaining quality, and ensuring that contributions are culturally accurate and sensitive.
Some of the main learning questions include: How can organized contests encourage long-term contributions to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, Wikivoyage, and Wiktionary? What methods are most effective for training new editors and supporting them after workshops? How can partnerships with local custodians and emirate councils improve access to knowledge and media for Wikimedia Projects? Finally, we want to learn how this work can increase the visibility of Hausa festivals and emirate traditions to both local and global audiences, and how these approaches can be applied to similar cultural documentation projects in the future.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 120 | We will going to train 120 participants physically 40 from each target area. |
| Number of editors | 50 | We hope to see at least 50 editors, people who will participate in our contest and Contributors. |
| Number of organizers | 4 | This project will be organized by 4 experience Wikimedians and helping by 2 volunteers from each target town. |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 1000 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 200 |
| Wikidata | 200 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | 100 |
| 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)
We will be using Wikimedia Foundation's Dashboard Tool
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)
5560000 NGN
- 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.
3916.01 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and 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).