Wiki In Africa/Wiki Loves Africa

Organisation Wiki-links

HOME (On Meta): Wiki In Africa
Website: www.wikiinafrica.org
Strategy Documents: on Meta • on the website
Wiki In Africa Commons Category
Wiki In Africa News
Wiki In Africa people – staff & board
WMF Grants and Reports
Wiki In Africa Projects
Wiki Loves Africa: since 2014 Meta • Commons • Website ISA Wiki Loves Africa MetaData Weeks
Wiki Loves Women: since 2016 on Meta • website #SheSaid annual campaign Inspiring Open podcast series ISA Tell Us About Her annual campaigns WLW Focus Group Leadership program
WikiAfrica Hour: monthly live discussions
WikiChallenge Ecoles d'Afrique since 2017
WikiFundi: Offline editing technology since 2017
ISA Tool: Commons • ToolForge
WikiAfrica Heritage: GLAM program, South Africa.
Project external links
Youtube: Wiki In Africa channel
Twitter: @WikiAfrica
Instagram: @WikiLovesWomen
Facebook page : @WikiAfrica
Linked In: Connect here
Vimeo: Wiki In Africa channel
edit this template

What Wiki Loves Africa is.

Wiki Loves Africa was launched as an annual thematic photographic contest in 2014 (prior to the creation of the association). Anyone can enter images from Africa over the two months of the competition, although events are run in several focus countries by local teams. Over the last seven years, it has been active in 23 countries across Africa - and over 64,000 images and media files that celebrate the variety and richness of cultures of Africa have been contributed for use on Wikimedia Commons.

Themes that have been covered so far include Cuisine (2014), Cultural Fashion and Adornment (2015), Music and Dance (2016), People at Work (2017), Africa at Play! (2019), Africa on the Move (transport)in 2020 and Health + Wellness’'’ in 2021. The contest in 2022 was themed Home & Habitat.

Wiki Loves Africa was conceptualised by Florence Devouard and Isla Haddow-Flood in 2013 and launced in 2014. Wiki In Africa has been the lead organisation on the project since 2016, and the host since 2019. It has been previously hosted by the Africa Centre (2014, 2015) and Ynternet.org (2016, 2017) as fiscal sponsors. Funding for the competition has been provided by the Wikimedia Foundation, Foundation Orange, with institutional support from the Goethe-Institut and communications support from Unite 4 Heritage, UNESCO.

Impact[edit]

The top 20 shortlist for Wiki Loves Africa competition under the 2022 theme, Home & Habitat.

Since 2014, the project has achieved the following (last update 2023):

Over 88,600 images have been entered by 9,269 competitors from up to 55 countries under a free licence (CC-BY-SA) ;
The images entered to Wiki Loves Africa are viewed 26 million times each month (Sept 2022);
Wiki Loves Africa's images submitted over the 8 years have been viewed 1.1 billion times (Sept 2022) altogether since Jan 2017;
Wikimedia communities from over 30 African communities in 24 countries have hosted over 330 participation events, information sessions and training workshops since 2014;
Two of Wiki Loves Africa’s images were selected as finalists in the Picture of the Year prize on Wikimedia commons. View them here.
A Wiki Loves Africa winning image was included in the Journeys Through Our Fragile Heritage exhibition at the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris; and
Wiki Loves Africa’s ISA tool won the Multimedia category at the WikiData Awards 2019.

1st placed images of each year[edit]

2021 1er prix /1st prize: Crazy Love by Ewien van Bergeijk - Kwant
2020 1er prix /1st prize: My Homeland by Mohamed Ahmed Yousry (Egypt) Myousry6666
2019 1er prix /1st prize: Yida refugee camp in South Sudanese territory by Marco Gualazzini from Italy
2017 1er prix /1st prize: Gift of the Ocean, Tanzania by Yann Macherez
2016 1er prix /1st prize: The Kuru Dance Festival at Dqae Qare Lodge, Botswana by SanDanceVR
2015 1er prix /1st prize: Another busy afternoon in Kenya by Isaac Kaigi
2014 1er prix /1st prize: Nutmeg by Terrence Coombes from Tanzania

You can view the international winning images from all years here.

Project extension 2021: Photographer professional development programme : Nos Jardins[edit]

Nos Jardins is photographer training that takes place between January and June 2021. This free masterclass covers various topics such as Free Culture, Wikimedia Commons (use of, upload of images, description), Wikipedia (integration of images), free licenses, and photographic advanced skills. It is targeted to professional or advanced amateurs. The trainees are expected to actively participate in the 2021 Wiki Loves Africa and Wiki Loves Earth contests. The trainers are Florence Devouard, Serieminou and staff members of Ynternet.org, and professional photographers. The masterclass is being held through webinars and offline events and takes place simultaneously in Cameroon and Switzerland.