WikiIndaba conference 2018/Submissions/Getting started in new countries. Example: Rwanda

Submission no. 060

Title of the submission: Getting started in new countries. Example: Rwanda

Type of submission (lecture, panel, tutorial/workshop, roundtable discussion, lightning talk, birds of a feather discussion): lecture / presentation

Author of the submission: Gereon Kalkuhl and, by Skype, Rudolf Simon

Language of presentation: English

E-mail address: gereon.kalkuhlwikipedia.de

Username: Gereon K. and RudolfSimon

Country of origin: Germany

Affiliation, if any (organisation, company etc.): Gereon K.: none;
RudolfSimon: former board member of Wikimedia Deutschland

Personal homepage or blog

Abstract (up to 300 words to describe your proposal)

There are entire countries without editors, countries where not many people are aware of the existence of the Wikimedia projects. Different approaches to raise awareness and to start a community have been tried.

Rwanda had a wonderful Wiki Loves Africa participation in 2017, but there are not many editors of Wikipedia. Rudolf Simon, who cannot attend WikiIndaba himself, but who will talk to the conference via Skype, gave a Wikipedia presentation in Kigali, Rwanda. For the initiative One Laptop per child (OLPC XO) he visited Rwanda and met many Rwandan leaders of art, publishing and industry. The Goethe-Institut Kigali provided an opportunity to hold a Wikipedia presentation to 40 invited attendants. All were very interested in Wikipedia. A goal was to advertise contribution to Wikipedias in local languages, in the case of Rwanda Kinyarwanda (rw.wikipedia) and Kirundi (rn.wikipedia).

This shows that there are ways to start initiatives in neglected countries – by cooperating with NGOs and culture institutes.

In case Asaf Bartov cannot attend I would like to inform the attendants of his project to provide editors with free used laptops.

What will attendees take away from this session?

Attendants should get ideas about how to make contacts in neglected countries, how to cooperate with other players in the Open Movement. Ideally plans for projects in neglected countries will come out of the session.

Theme of presentation: Education

For workshops and discussions, what level is the intended audience?: Intermediate

Length of session (if other than 25 minutes, specify how long): 40 minutes

Will you attend WikiIndaba if your submission is not accepted?: yes

Slides or further information (optional)

Special requests

Is this Submission a Draft or Final? Final

Interested attendees[edit]

If you are interested in attending this session, please sign with your username below. This will help reviewers to decide which sessions are of high interest. Sign with a hash and four tildes. (# ~~~~).

Alangi Derick (talk) 08:57, 25 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Committee decision[edit]

Declined

Reason: The audience of the conference are all from countries where Wikimedia movement exists.

Comment from submitter: @Csisc: Ok, we all know that. I did not know that this is a conference for Affiliates only, I thought it is about editing, building communities and how to help whole African countries without editors and community as well. --Gereon K. (talk) 18:35, 31 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Gereon K.: Well, this is true. But, there was a work that was presented in WikiIndaba 2017 about the same topic. However, no one from the audience of that conference used the techniques provided in the presentation to build a Wikimedia movement in new African countries. --Csisc (talk) 19:27, 31 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, thank you. That is an explanation of the rejection that I can understand. :) --Gereon K. (talk) 19:33, 31 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]