Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Loves Africa 2026 in Nigeria:Rites and Rituals (ID: 23724354)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Royalesignature
- 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 in Nigeria: Rites and Rituals
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-02-28 - 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)
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)
Information about African rites, rituals, and cultural practices—particularly those of the Yoruba people of Nigeria—is either missing, fragmented, or widely misunderstood on global knowledge platforms. This gap has contributed to persistent misperceptions about Yoruba culture, spiritual systems, festivals, and traditional places of worship. Despite the global spread and influence of Yoruba heritage, especially through religion, music, and festivals, there remains a significant lack of freely accessible visual and multimedia documentation on Wikimedia platforms. As Nigerian Wikimedians and cultural advocates, we seek to address this challenge by documenting Yoruba cultural events, rites, and rituals through structured photowalks and field documentation activities. This project, implemented under the Wiki Loves Africa 2026 in Nigeria: Rites and Rituals aims to close existing content gaps by creating high-quality photographs and videos that will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and made available for improving related Wikimedia articles.
- 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.
28 February – Virtual Information Session and Campaign Launch led by Salako Lukman Olamilekan, introduction to Wiki Loves Africa 2026 theme, project objectives, Wikimedia Commons overview, and account creation.
7 March – Physical training workshop for 35 participants covering Wikimedia Commons contributions, cultural documentation ethics, photography and videography skills, and guided cultural photo hunt preparation.
21 March – Virtual meetup focused on navigating Wikimedia Commons, uploading content, and using images to improve Wikimedia articles.
18 April – Field photowalks across Kwara, Osun, and Oyo States documenting Orisa worship, sacred drumming, festivals, rituals, masquerades, and traditional places of worship.
09 May – General upload session and virtual meetup on advanced image use, metadata, categorization, photo contest submission, and article improvement.
31 May – Closing event, exhibition “Sacred Rhythms”, award-winning ceremony, debrief, closeout, and final reporting to the Wiki Loves Africa team.
- 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 Lead: Salako Lukman Olamilekan (Royalesignature)
Salako Lukman Olamilekan, widely known by his Wikimedia username Royalesignature, is a prolific Yoruba Wikipedia editor and one of the foremost champions of Yoruba-language knowledge on Wikimedia platforms. With an impressive record of over 600 articles created on Yoruba Wikipedia and more than 700 media uploads on Wikimedia Commons (spanning images, videos, and audio files), he has consistently expanded access to Yoruba content while safeguarding cultural knowledge in digital form. Royalesignature has received recognition for his outstanding contributions, including winning prestigious competitions such as the Write for the Rights Nigeria Contest 2025, Afrodemics 2025, and serving as a delegate at Afroyanga 2.0, a cultural-focused Wikipedia intensive bootcamp. He is also a Wiki Lab Organizer Cohort 2 graduate and a WikiBoast delegate, an initiative for carefully selected experienced editors organized by the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria. His excellence has further been spotlighted through top-level contributions to landmark initiatives such as Celebrating Nigeria’s Indigenous Identity on Wikimedia and Afrohistory 2025. Beyond his personal contributions, Royalesignature is an innovative organizer, trainer, and community builder. He has successfully led and co-organized several impactful projects, including the Yoruba Wikipedia Awareness Campaign in Offa, Wikipedia 4 Ijakadi Festival, and Exploring the Cultural Heritage of Yoruba Compounds. He also co-organized the Wiki Climate Campus Tour Nigeria, one of the largest climate-focused Wikimedia initiatives in the country. Through these initiatives, he has introduced hundreds of new editors to the Wikimedia movement and fostered sustainable, long-term participation. As the Founder of the Yoruba Wikipedia Fan Club Offa, he continues to nurture communities of passionate editors, empowering youth and cultural advocates to preserve, celebrate, and make Yoruba knowledge globally accessible. His proven track record in cultural documentation, project leadership, and Wikimedia advocacy uniquely positions him to lead the Wiki Loves Africa 2026: Sacred Rhythms project. With this initiative, he aims to spotlight the rich spiritual, ritual, and cultural traditions of the Yoruba people—capturing the essence of Orisa worship, drums, festivals, rituals, sacred places of worship, and intangible heritage—while ensuring these treasures are preserved and represented within the global Wikimedia ecosystem.
Project Co-Organizer & Communications – Muhammed Thani Muhammed Thani will serve as the project’s Co-Organizer, bringing a strong track record of excellence in Wikimedia contributions and communications. He emerged as the highest Yoruba-language contributor during the Write for the Rights Nigeria 2025 Contest and was the runner-up for highest Yoruba content translator from English in August 2025, with over 100 articles translated. Beyond Wikimedia, he is an accomplished ICT expert, project manager, and communications specialist, whose expertise will strengthen the project’s organization, outreach, and knowledge-sharing impact.
Facilitator:Mis Dorcas
Dokimazo99 is a seasoned Yoruba Wikipedia editor who stands as one of the most prolific content creators on the Yoruba Wikipedia having created over 500 articles on Yoruba Wikipedia. She has previously served as the president of the Yoruba Wiki Fan-club Unilag and Wikipedian-in-Residence for the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, she showcases her commitment to promoting and preserving the Yoruba language. With a proven track record of spearheading successful projects, such as the "Wikipedia Training: University of Lagos First Semester," where she diligently trained and guided participants in the art of editing and translating into Yoruba Wikipedia. She has trained and recruited over 100 editors to the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group.
Facilitator and Jury: Santhosh Notagar Prof. Santhosh Notagar is a distinguished professor of 3D and 2D Animation, Graphic Design, and Videography at Malgore University, with extensive expertise in digital media and visual storytelling. Beyond academia, he is a renowned Wikipedia volunteer with active contributions across projects, and a participant in international Wikimedia events such as the Wikisource Conference, where he has engaged in advancing free knowledge and collaborative editing. His dual experience as an academic lecturer and Wikimedia advocate equips him with unique skills in training, knowledge transfer, and cultural documentation. As a facilitator for this project, Prof. Notagar will bring his wealth of expertise in creative media, open knowledge, and community engagement to enrich participants’ capacity in producing high-quality visual and cultural content for the Wikimedia movement.
Welfare & Administration – Amina Ibrahim O.and Abidoye Yusuf Amina Ibrahim O. will oversee logistics and welfare for the project. She is an experienced educationist, historian, and communications expert, bringing a strong background in coordination, cultural understanding, and stakeholder engagement. Her expertise will ensure smooth administration, effective communication, and well-organized support systems for participants and partners throughout the project. Abidoye Yusuf is a videographer and Content Creator.
- 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)
Arolu College of Education, Lens University Ilemona, Len Polytechnic Offa, and Summit University Offa. These are the four sites where we will hold activities, targeting community members and students. The campaign is open to photographers and all Nigerians who wish to participate. To engage participants, we will hold follow-up sessions during and after the campaign. Meet-ups will include online and in-person sessions with live discussions and group activities to engage participants. Social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook will also support follow-up sessions.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 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.
- 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 sought valuable insights from Wikimedians in both the South West and North Central regions, particularly members of the Wiki Yoruba community and the Wiki Loves team in Nigeria. In addition, we engaged closely with our project facilitators and ambassadors, who are actively working with us to ensure the success of this initiative. Their collective experience and guidance have been instrumental in shaping our approach and strengthening the project’s cultural and community impact.
- 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)
How can documenting Yoruba festivals, rituals, and sacred practices strengthen intergenerational knowledge transfer and inspire pride in cultural identity?
What innovative ways can Wikimedia tools and platforms be used to amplify Yoruba cultural heritage globally and attract new contributors?
How do you think this Photowalk can bring a sense of urgency to preserve Yoruba sacred groves, Orisa traditions, and places of worship through advocacy and documentation?
Do you think partnership with cultural custodians, traditional leaders, and community stakeholders can help us achieve this aim?
What do you hope to learn from this project in terms of cultural heritage documentation, knowledge sharing, and Wikimedia community engagement?
How would your participation in Wiki Loves Africa 2026 make our community members feel engaged and become more attached to the Wikimedia movement?
How did you feel being part of Wiki Loves Africa? What was your experience like meeting other community members, photographers, and cultural custodians during the project?
During next year’s contest, will you be willing to participate again as part of this movement to continue documenting African heritage?
Would you recommend this project to someone, especially young photographers, cultural enthusiasts, or Wikimedia contributors?
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 35 | |
| Number of editors | 35 | |
| Number of organizers | 5 |
| 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)
1.Outreach dashboard tools 2. Ptools 3. Commons category tool 4. Hashtag tools 5, Event Metrics Tool 6. Fountain 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)
6385729.4 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.
4472.97 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).