Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Loves Africa 2026:Rites, Rituals and Festivals of Jigawa (ID: 23642163)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Sirjat
- 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.
Wiki Loves Africa 2026: Rites, Rituals and Festivals of Jigawa
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-10-17 - 2026-02-28
- 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)
Wiki Loves Africa
- 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)
Change and Challenges:
The goal is to increase the visibility of Jigawa’s culture on Wikimedia projects and to build a small community of contributors from the state.
At present, Wikimedia participation in Jigawa is very low. Many cultural activities happen there every year, but very few are recorded online. Local people also have limited knowledge about how Wikimedia projects work.
Our approach will include:
- Training new volunteers on Wikimedia Commons and free licensing.
- Conducting guided photowalks to document major rites and festivals.
- Building partnerships with cultural offices and local guides.
- Encouraging participants to stay active through a local WhatsApp group and online mentoring.
This project will help bridge the content gap and strengthen the Hausa Wikimedia Community in Northern Nigeria.Wikimedia projects.
- 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.
Planned Activities:
1. Training Sessions (2 days each):
- First training in Hadejia – the biggest and most populated city in Jigawa.
- Second training in Dutse – the state capital.
- Focus: Wikimedia Commons basics, uploading photos, licensing, and storytelling through images.
2. Photowalk and Documentation:
- 4-day photowalks covering different cultural sites and events.
- We will document:
- Sharo Festival – a Fulani rite of passage in Miga and Kiyawa.
- Kokowa (traditional wrestling) and Dambe (boxing) – held during celebrations in Gwaram and Hadejia.
- Fishing Festivals – seasonal events in river areas like Hadejia and Auyo.
- Marriage Rites – Hausa wedding traditions across Dutse, Gumel, and Ringim.
- Agricultural Rites – prayers and thanksgiving before and after harvests in rural areas.
- Kalankuwa – local traditional entertainment after farming season.
- Royal and Emirate Ceremonies – the five emirates of Jigawa (Hadejia, Dutse, Gumel, Ringim, Kazaure) have special royal processions and celebrations.
3. Photo Contest:
- A mini contest among participants to upload their best images under the 2026 Wiki Loves Africa theme.
4. Post-Project:
- Create and share project report on Wikimedia Commons and Meta-Wiki Landing page.
- Continue mentoring participants through WhatsApp and Hausa Wikimedia community groups.
- 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.
Project Team
User:Sirjat, Active Wikimedian from Jigawa State with strong community experience. (Project Lead)
- Role: Project Lead and overall coordinator.
- Tasks: Manage planning, communication, reporting, and partnerships.
User:Ummun Sultan, Experienced Wikimedia contributor with knowledge of Hausa Wikimedia community.
- Role: Trainer and Facilitator.
- Tasks: Lead physical trainings and help participants learn to upload photos.
User:Ibrahim Sani Mustapha, Known for his quality uploads and work on Wikimedia Commons.
- Role: Commons Trainer.
- Tasks: Teach participants uploading, photo categorization, and metadata.
User:Abdulmuddalib Iabrahim Salisu, Skilled event organizer with Wikimedia experience.
- Role: Event Facilitator and Logistics Support.
- Tasks: Help organize events, manage logistics, and support participants.
Local Support:
- Two non-Wikimedian assistants from Jigawa State will work as travel and culture guides.
- They will help the team access traditional areas and festivals safely.
- 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)
Target Participants: The project will engage young photographers, students, and people who are interested in documenting their culture. It will also include local volunteers who want to learn about Wikimedia.
Before Activities: We will share information through social media, WhatsApp groups, and community networks. We will also contact traditional councils to get permission and invite local youth.
During Activities: Participants will join the photowalks and practice uploading photos under the guidance of facilitators. They will also learn how to describe images in simple English and Hausa.
After Activities: We will stay connected with participants using a WhatsApp group for ongoing mentorship. They will receive help to continue contributing to Wikimedia projects.
- 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 idea was discussed with members of the Hausa Wikimedia Community and Wikimedia User Group Nigeria. Many community members supported the plan and encouraged focusing on Jigawa State, since it has never hosted a Wiki Loves Africa project before.
We also talked with local photographers and cultural groups in Hadejia and Dutse who are ready to help with access and participation. A public on-wiki discussion link will be shared once the project page is created on Meta-Wiki.
- 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)
Geography
- 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)
Geographic
- 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)
From this project, we want to learn how to better train and support new contributors from Jigawa State and how to record local traditions in a respectful way.
Our main learning questions are:
- What encourages new participants from Jigawa to continue contributing after training?
- How can we improve photo documentation of local cultural practices?
- What partnerships help us gain access to authentic rites and rituals?
These lessons will guide future Wikimedia projects in Northern Nigeria and help strengthen cultural representation across Hausa-speaking regions.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 100 | We want to train at least 100 people, fifty in each city. |
| Number of editors | 40 | This are the total number of people that can join the contest and made editing. |
| Number of organizers | 6 | Four Wikimedians and two local people expert in photograph from Jigawa State |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 350 |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
This project will create new 500 images related to this year's theme, and improve at least 100 Jigawa State Hausa and English Wikipedia articles
- 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 use the Wikimedia Foundations 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)
3550000 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.
2429.9 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).