Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Loves Africa 2026 in Gungbe Communities (ID: 23631905)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
DonKevin
- Organization
Gungbe Wikimedians User Group
- 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 a Wikimedia User Group (submitted to the Affiliation Committee).
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
- Strategic planning and coordination: guides the overall direction of the group, plans activities aligned with Wikimedia’s mission, and ensures smooth coordination among members.
- Grant proposal writing: responsible for preparing and submitting grant proposals on behalf of the group to support events, campaigns, or projects.
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Wiki Loves Africa 2026 in Gungbe Communities
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-03-01 - 2026-06-15
- 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)
We aim to empower indigenous Gungbe speakers and photographers in Badagry and Ado-Odo/Ota to document and share their rich cultural heritage on Wikimedia Commons. The theme "Rites and Rituals" connects directly to the traditional life of our people, whose ceremonies, festivals, and sacred observances are deeply rooted in Gungbe identity.
The change we seek to create is cultural visibility and language inclusion. For decades, the stories and images of the Gungbe people - our naming rites, twin celebrations, masquerades, marriage ceremonies, and ancestral worship - have rarely appeared in global media or digital archives. What exists is often photographed by outsiders, lacking context or authenticity. Through this project, we want local people to be the authors of their own cultural narrative, contributing photos, audio, and videos that represent their lived realities.
The main challenges we are addressing include:
- Lack of access to free digital media platforms. Most local photographers are unaware of Wikimedia Commons and the open license movement.
- Language barriers and digital literacy. Many participants are more comfortable in Gungbe than in English, which limits their confidence in global participation.
- Poor documentation of Gungbe cultural life. Sacred rites, seasonal festivals, and traditional ceremonies in Badagry and Ado-Odo/Ota are slowly fading from public visibility due to modernization and migration.
To achieve meaningful change, our approach focuses on inclusion, learning, and local ownership.
We will conduct community sensitization in Gungbe language to explain the importance of preserving rituals through digital storytelling.
We will organize capacity-building workshops on Wikimedia Commons usage, Creative Commons licensing, and cultural photography ethics.
Participants will take part in photo walks and guided documentation sessions covering birth, initiation, traditional ceremonies and market rites around Badagry and Ado-Odo/Ota.
Finally, the project will celebrate contributions through a local exhibition and cultural gathering, encouraging pride in local identity and participation in the wider Wikimedia movement.
- 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.
Link to campaign event page:
Our activities are designed to fit our cultural context and logistical realities across two locations: Badagry Local Government Area (Lagos State) and Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area (Ogun State). The project will follow three interconnected phases:
- Phase 1 - Orientation and Mobilization
- Community Consultation: Meetings with local chiefs, youth groups, and cultural associations in Badagry and Ado-Odo/Ota to introduce the project in Gungbe and English.
- Public Awareness: Use of town criers, flyers, and WhatsApp community networks to invite participants.
- Introductory Workshop (Day 1): Overview of Wiki Loves Africa, explanation of the "Rites and Rituals" theme, and basic introduction to Wikimedia Commons.
- Basic Photography and Video Training (Day 2): Teaching participants how to take high-quality pictures, record audio, and describe cultural rituals in captions.
- Phase 2 - Field Documentation and Upload Support
- Photo Walks: Participants will visit traditional sites such as shrines, markets, and family compounds to document local rituals (with community permission).
- Ethical Documentation Sessions: Ensuring that sacred or restricted rituals are handled with cultural sensitivity and proper consent.
- Upload Training Sessions: Participants will be guided through photo selection, Creative Commons licensing, and Commons upload procedures.
- Peer Mentorship: Experienced Gungbe Wikimedians will mentor newcomers on categorizing and tagging content.
- Phase 3 - Contest Celebration and Community Exhibition
- Local Judging Process: Selection of best photos and videos based on relevance, cultural accuracy, and technical quality.
- Award and Exhibition Day: A small community event featuring photo displays, storytelling, and musical performances. Winners will receive prizes and certificates.
- Follow-up Mentorship: Creation of a Gungbe Commons contributor WhatsApp group to encourage long-term contributions.
- Project Reporting: Compilation of results, participant feedback, and a summary for Report documentation.
- 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 Coordinator - User:DonKevin: Oversees the entire project, handles logistics, community liaison, and Wikimedia reporting.
- Photography and Media Trainer - User:Misteld: Facilitates photography and video workshops, supports field documentation, and mentors participants.
- Cultural Liaison - User:Pingponging: Coordinates community outreach in Gungbe and ensures cultural accuracy and respect.
- Communications and Outreach Lead - User:Jamex18: Manages social media campaigns and participant engagement.
- 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 target participants include members of Gungbe Wikimedians User Group, Gungbe-speaking people, students, teachers, photographers, cultural custodians, and community elders from Badagry (Lagos State) and Ado-Odo/Ota (Ogun State). These are border regions where Gungbe language and culture remain strong but underrepresented on Wikimedia Commons.
Before the activities:
We will engage participants through community meetings and local community associations. Flyers and WhatsApp groups will help us reach more participants who are active on mobile platforms. We will also visit schools to invite students interested in photography, storytelling, and technology.
During the activities:
Participants will receive step-by-step guidance on cultural documentation and Wikimedia Commons uploads. We will provide hands-on mentorship in both English and Gungbe, ensuring inclusivity. During fieldwork, smaller teams will be assigned to document specific events such as naming ceremonies, initiation rites, and fishing festivals. We will also encourage intergenerational dialogue, where elders explain the meaning behind rituals to younger participants.
After the activities:
Post-event, we will sustain engagement through a Gungbe Commons WhatsApp Group, where participants share their continued uploads, ask questions, and collaborate on new projects. We will also host an online "Cultural Storytelling Evening" on Meet to review the most interesting photos and their background stories. Top participants will be supported to join future Wikimedia campaigns.
- 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.
We hosted preliminary discussions on our User Group's WhatsApp group. After that a notification was posted on meta-wiki and further discussion continued on the community WhatsApp group.
- 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)
Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
We hope to learn:
- How effectively do language-inclusive Wikimedia Commons projects promote cultural preservation and community pride?
- To what extent does bilingual training (in English and Gungbe) improve participants’ ability to contribute media to Wikimedia Commons?
- What are the most ethical and culturally sensitive ways to document traditional practices on Wikimedia Commons?
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 40 | We plan to have 20 new participants and 20 returning participants |
| Number of editors | 40 | We plan to have 20 new registered users and 20 returning editors |
| Number of organizers | 4 | We will have 4 persons involved in implementing the activities |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | |
| Wikimedia Commons | 500 |
| Wikidata | |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
We plan to upload 500 file to Wikimedia Commons
- 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)
Outreach dashboard, Commons category and Ptools
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dsj4xZ6icgHR7shJ2Y11SwAkwY2ZCJyOl-8EnrqMdrg/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)
3576000 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.
2431.91 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).