Yoruba Wikimedians User Group 2024-2025 annual activities
This page is designed to document the activities of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group for the year 2024 - 2025. This document activities from the 1st of July 2024 to 30th of June 2025..
July 2024
Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos 2024
On July 1, 2024, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group launched the local contest for the international Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos campaign for the 4th time. This is to promote this use of photos on Yoruba Wikipedia articles lacking photos. This is the second time the Yoruba Wikimedian User Group will be participating in the campaign.
Last year, images were added for a total of 328 and a total of 15 members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group participated in the contest.
Thousands of images have been contributed to Wikimedia Commons through various initiatives, including advocacy programs, photowalks, and competitions. These efforts feature globally recognized photography contests such as Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth, and Wiki Loves Folklore, among others. Despite the volume of contributions, the integration of these images into Wikipedia articles has remained limited.
We organized series of trainings for the participants to ensure quality contributions and effective participation in the campaign and prizes were awarded to the top contributors.
Donation of Yoruba oral traditions audiovisuals to Adekunle Ajasin University
On the 5th of July 2024, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group and Wikimedia User Group Nigeria have jointly donated educational audiovisual materials to Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba (AAUA). This donation is part of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group’s ongoing efforts to support education through high-quality, freely accessible audiovisual content.
This audiovisual contents were created as part of our Yoruba Oral Traditions initiative. The materials were received on behalf of the university by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Professor Felix Akinwunmi, the Registrar of the University, Mr. Raphael Arajulu, and the Director of Linkages and International Program, Professor Temitope Olumuyiwa. Other notable attendees included the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Uriel Okunrimeta, and former DVCs, Professor Oluyemisi Adebowale and Professor Francis Oyebade, a renowned phonologist.
We also collaborated with the institutions to train over 500 students during a two-day workshop. As part of this initiative, Yoruba Wiki Fan Club was established within the Department of Linguistics and Languages. The inauguration of the club’s leadership was conducted by Professor Temitope Olumuyiwa, the Head of the Department of Linguistics and Languages, who also serves as the President of the Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria, the umbrella organization for Yoruba language programs in tertiary institutions across the country. In addition to his academic leadership, Professor Olumuyiwa holds the position of Director of Linkages and International Programs at the university, further amplifying the potential for local and global collaborations through Wikimedia platforms.
The event received significant media coverage, with reports published by ThisDay Newspaper, The Guardian, Vanguard, and Daily Independent.
The Yoruba Oral Tradition Project is a project designed and implemented by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group to document, and preserve Yoruba oral traditions.
Yoruba Party
On July 7, 2024, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, in collaboration with Egbe Atelewo, organized an event called the "Yoruba party" at Liberty Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The event celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people, and highlighted traditional attire, Yoruba cuisine, social customs, language, and other historical achievements.
With over a hundred attendees, the event featured various activities that offered a deeper understanding of Yoruba traditions. The Yoruba Wikimedians User Group presented on the Wikimedia movement, providing insights into the Yoruba Wikipedia community and encouraging participants to join. Many attendees, hearing about the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group for the first time, expressed interest by sharing their names and WhatsApp numbers to join the community.
The event also served as an opportunity to document different aspects of Yoruba culture, with photos and media captured and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. These contributions will be used on relevant Wikipedia articles.
Edit-a-thon series at the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture
A series of edit-a-thons were organized at the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture, with a specific focus on Yoruba literary traditions. The edit-a-thons brought together students of Yoruba language and linguistics from the University of Ibadan. The event provided them with a unique opportunity to contribute to preserving and promoting Yoruba heritage through Wikipedia.
The sessions were facilitated by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group’s Wikimedia in Residence, User:Dokimazo99 and it was held at the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture's training room.
During the edit-a-thons, participants used literary materials available at the centre to create and improve Wikipedia articles. A total of 60 new articles were created, and over 40 existing articles were improved. The event not only helped in creating new contents and and improving the quality of existing Yoruba Wikipedia content, it also empowered the students, to build capacity on contents creation. Participants includes both undergraduates and post graduates students who are studing Yoruba language at the University of Ibadan.
August 2024
Yoruba WikiRadio Program
This year, we are continuing our WikiRadio Program as part of our ongoing efforts to promote the readership of the Yoruba Wikipedia. Last year, Yoruba Wikipedia achieved a remarkable milestone, reaching 25 million views, making it the most-read Nigerian language Wikipedia. The WikiRadio program played a key role in driving this growth, and we are committed to sustaining and surpassing this achievement.
In the past, the WikiRadio show was managed by a small group of community members. However, this year, we expanded the team by recruiting new volunteers through an open call. After a thorough review process, four new members were selected, based on their experience anchoring similar programs on major radio stations. One of the selected participants is veteran journalist Olaniyi Omisope, who currently manages Melody FM in Lagos State.
The Yoruba WikiRadio Program is set to commence on August 15, 2024, broadcasting on Radio Lagos (107.5 FM). Radio Lagos was selected as the host station this year due to its larger audience reach and better engagement compared to Bond FM. The program aims to further promote the Yoruba Wikipedia and increase readership across the Yoruba-speaking community.
This year, the show will feature a new team of lead presenters, including:
- Omisope Olaniyi, popularly known as Baba Omi, a veteran broadcaster
- Babatunde Popoola
- Adesina Adeogun
- Mikaeel Sodiq Adesina
- Adeniran Adeyemi
The newly appointed radio presenters will play an important role in improving the program and keeping the audience engaged, with the goal of helping Yoruba Wikipedia grow.
This year, the WikiRadio Program will run for at least six months. We believe this longer period will not only raise more awareness about Yoruba Wikipedia but also encourage more people to become editors for Wikimedia projects, especially the Yoruba Wikipedia. We hope to engage more listeners, build a stronger community, and expand the reach of Yoruba Wikipedia even further.
September 2024
Wiki Loves Monuments 2024
In the past, we have organized Wiki Loves Monuments in the South West of Nigeria, but that came with is own challenges which configuring the upload wizard and synchronizing the outcomes with the International contest. This is important to ensure that participants in Wiki Loves Monuments in South West Nigeria were eligible for International Prizes in addition to local prizes. Since 2023, we have been co-coordinating and organizing Wiki Loves Monuments as a national photography contest in collaborations with established user groups including Igbo Wikimedians User Group, Hausa Wikimedians User Group, Tyap Wikimedians User Group, and the Wikimedia Nigeria User Group.
Last year, a total of 2,802 images were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, with the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group recording the highest number at 920 images, followed by the Igbo Wikimedians User Group with 781 images. This year, a total of 2,209 images were uploaded, with the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group again recording the highest number at 594, followed by the Igbo Wikimedians User Group with 562 images and the Hausa Wikimedians User Group with 194 images.
Unlike last year, when we organized two photowalks in two states, Lagos State and Ogun State, this year we organized a photowalk in Lagos State only. This was followed by an uploading session where the images were uploaded by the professional photographers themselves. A total of 36 photographers participated this year, with at least 20 newcomers to Wiki Loves Monuments, who are now part of our community.
At the end of the contest, a jury team was set up to review the images contributed and rank the images based on quality. Prizes were provided for the top three quality images, and separate prizes were provided for users with the most images contributed. The images contributed can be found at Images from Wiki Loves Monuments 2024 in the Yoruba Community. These photographers are now members of our user group. They were added to the existing WhatsApp group for professional photographers.
Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project 2023 Drive
The 2024 Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project was launched for the third time on September 20, 2024. The goal of the DCW was to have 50 new articles translated into Yoruba and 50 articles translated into Urdu. The project successfully achieved these targets. The drive ran from September 20 to 30, 2023, and prizes were awarded to the top contributors for their efforts.
The Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project (also known as DYCP) is a collaborative project between the Deoband Community Wikimedia and the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group. The project aims to include content related to global Deobandi scholarship on the Yoruba language Wikipedia and "Yoruba-related" content on the Urdu Wikipedia.
Other objectives of the collaboration include, but are not limited to:
- to increase content on small language Wikipedias such as Urdu and the Yoruba Wikipedia.
- To promote international collaborations among Wikimedia affiliates
- Increase the quality of existing articles on small-language Wikipedias.
- to engage existing volunteers
- To promote Wikimedia projects in Nigeria and India
- to support the creation, development, growth, and free distribution of Yoruba and Deoband-related educational materials.
The collaboration was originally launched on the 1st of July 2022. The collaboration was covered in the media by The Chenab Times on June 26, 2022.
WikiConference Nigeria 2024
We collaborated with the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria, Igbo Wikimedians User Group, Hausa Wikimedians User Group, and Tyap Wikimedians User Group to organize the first edition of the Wiki Conference Nigeria. The theme of the conference was "Empowering Knowledge Equity: Building a Stronger Nigerian Wikimedia Community." The conference aimed to achieve several goals, including:
- Building capacity for Nigerian Wikimedians to promote, develop, and strengthen collaboration among Wikimedia users, projects, communities, affiliates, and stakeholders in Nigeria.
- Supporting the sharing of knowledge, experience, and best practices among participants, while providing a space for them to improve their skills, discuss ongoing challenges, and celebrate each other's work.
- Documenting the learnings from various activities, including projects, campaigns, and events carried out by community members over the past four years, for future reference.
- Strategizing for the upcoming years to shape the Wikimedia movement in Nigeria collectively.
Members of our group were part of the Core Organizing Team (COT) and led several subcommittees, including the scholarship committee. We were actively involved in all aspects of the conference organization, from planning to execution. The conference was held in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and was attended by at least 15 members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group. Additionally, we provided full scholarships to eight members of our community who were not awarded scholarships to participate in the event.
During the award night, one of our members were nominated in the "Best Contributors of the Year" category, and Dr. Isaac Olatunde (User:T Cells) who is one of our founding members and an advisor to our group, received the "Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contributions to building the Wikimedia movement in Nigeria.
We actively participated in multiple sessions and discussions, including a panel during the conference, and played a key role in ensuring the smooth execution of the event. We sponsored at least two Yoruba language academics to attend the conference as part of our strategy to support our growing communities within their respective institutions.
October 2024
Wikidata Training for community members
The session introduced participants to Wikidata, explaining its objectives, community, and how they can contribute. Held at the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria office, the training was attended by 31 participants, including at least 9 new editors who were attending one of our events and contributing to Wikimedia projects for the first time. They were encouraged to create usernames and make their first contributions.
However, many participants were affected by the Global IP Block, preventing them from contributing. Despite this challenge, a significant number were able to create new items on Wikidata.While many were still able to participate by creating new items on Wikidata, at least three new editors were unable to create accounts due to the IP block restrictions.
This challenge could have been mitigated if contributions had been directed primarily to the Yoruba Wikipedia, where our community has established localized IP block exemptions to support new contributors. Unfortunately, these exemptions do not currently apply to Wikidata, limiting our ability to fully onboard participants on that platform.
One of the participants shared their experience, stating:
"I have been following the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group for some time through Twitter, and I am thrilled to finally join their event today. I must say, you are doing incredible work. I'm excited to officially become a member today.
The new participants would be mentored and encouraged to contunue to contribute to Wikidata, the Yoruba Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.
Conference of the Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria
We collaborated with the Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria (YSAN) to co-host its 2024 Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria Conference, which took place from October 7–11, 2024, at the Department of Linguistics, African Language, and Communication Arts, Lagos State University. The theme of the conference was "Yoruba Language and AI."
During the event, we delivered a presentation on Wikipedia and AI, highlighting the challenges faced by the Yoruba Wikipedia due to the use of AI for content translation. We discussed the issues surrounding poor translations in the Yoruba language and proposed potential solutions to improve the quality of content. Additionally, we showcased some of our work and emphasized how the Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria could collaborate with our group, given that we are both mission-aligned organizations working to promote the accessibility of knowledge in Yoruba through digital platforms like Wikipedia.
To engage participants, we produced souvenirs such as shirts, visor caps, jotters, pens, and key holders, all featuring a link to the Yoruba Wikipedia homepage. These souvenirs were distributed to conference attendees to encourage them to explore and contribute to the Yoruba Wikipedia. We also provided refreshments during our sessions and registered new members to join our community.
This collaboration not only raised awareness about the challenges and opportunities for Yoruba Wikipedia but also fostered a stronger connection between academic institutions and our group in advancing Yoruba language knowledge digitally.
This is the first time our group has collaborated with the Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria (YSAN) to host its annual conference, and they are excited about our partnership. The next edition of the conference will be held in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, and we have been informed that our organization will be one of the keynote speakers at the event.
The Yoruba Studies Association of Nigeria (YSAN) is an academic organization focused on the study and promotion of the Yoruba language, literature, culture, and related disciplines. It brings together academics, scholars, researchers, educators, and students interested in various aspects of Yoruba studies, including linguistics, history, sociology, and anthropology. Through conferences, workshops, and publications, the association advances the understanding and appreciation of the Yoruba language and its significance in contemporary society. YSAN is also a key stakeholder in the Yoruba Orthography Review Project, with the President of the organization serving as the Chairman of the Yoruba Orthography Review Committee.
November 2024
Capacity-building at Fountain University
On the 7th and 8th of November 2024, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group conducted an in-person training for students of Fountain University. Although, there is no department of Yoruba studies in the institutions but participants were native speakers of the Yoruba language The training was held at the university campus. The training was facilitated by User:Dokimazo99. A total of 22 people attended the training, with at least 17 of them creating accounts on Yoruba Wikipedia.
A WhatsApp group was created to mentor and engage the new editors further. It was also agreed that weekly training sessions and edit-a-thons would be conducted monthly to sustain their involvement. User:Dokimazo99 will facilitate and support them for the first two months. During this time, it is expected that many of the students will have mastered the basics of Wikipedia editing and will be equipped to organize and coordinate activities such as edit-a-thons and training sessions for new editors.\
Recruit readers as writers 3.0
One of the numerous challenges facing small language Wikipedia is low contributions from native speakers. Most of the contents on small languages Wikipedia are either written by bots or non-native speakers who sometimes use Google translator or similar machines to translate contents on these languages Wikipedia. These cause severe damage to the quality and credibility of these languages Wikipedia. Readers don't have access to basic articles in their native languages since most of the contents are poor in quality.
In 2022, we conducted an experiment to support small language Wikipedia. The experiment involves recruiting big-language Wikipedia readers to serve as small-language Wikipedia editors. It was successful (see previous report. This experiment was inspired by this Wikimania session in 2021. The work also inspired Wikimedia Nigeria's WikiBoost.
We hosted a central notice banner on the English Wikipedia that is often visited from Nigeria, and a Qualtrics form was attached to the banner. Wikipedia readers from Nigeria who are native speakers of the Yoruba language were encouraged to complete the form and participate in a training on how to contribute to the Yoruba language Wikipedia. The "Central Notice" banner was only visible to visitors who were not registered on any Wikimedia project.
In less than 48 hours, approximately 1,000 people registered for training. We reached out to the participants, and those who responded were trained on how to contribute to the Yoruba language Wikipedia.
This year, instead of launching a new banner, we used the existing database of individuals who had previously registered for training. All registered participants were contacted, and as of today, 5th December 2024, a total of 155 people have confirmed their interest and been added to the training WhatsApp group.
The training sessions have been scheduled to run from 9th to 15th December, with Certificates of Participation to be issued on 16th December 2024 to participants who successfully complete the training. The training would be facilitated by experienced Yoruba Wikipedia editors and at least 3 of the trainers are administrators on Yoruba Wikipedia. At the end of the training, participants would be mentored and continue to be engaged and different tasks would be assigned to them and monitored by experienced editors.
Did you know that Wikipedia exists in Yorùbà language? If you speak Yorùbá language and write in Yoruba language, please help us improve it. Register for free Yoruba Wikipedia training using this form!
December 2024
Audiovisuals of Yoruba Warlords
The Audiovisuals of Yoruba Warlords is a part of the Yorubal Oral Traditions Projects. This year we focused on Yoruba warlords. In nineteenth-century Yorubaland, located in southwestern Nigeria, the era was marked by incessant warfare and the widespread use of gunpowder, comparable in scale and intensity to the conflicts that swept across Europe during the same century. Battles raged across the region until 1886 when Sir Gilbert Carter, the British Governor of the Lagos Protectorate, intervened to broker peace.
The character and skills of individuals often reflect the times they inhabit. Those who grow up in peace and stability tend to learn how to cultivate and maintain harmony, whereas those shaped by periods of unrest and conflict often master the strategies and skills of warfare. In the midst of the turmoil that engulfed Yoruba nations and communities, prominent leaders emerged, forming formidable armies to defend their territories and expand their influence.
Figures such as Latosisa, Ajayi Ogboriefon, and Ayorinde stood out in Ibadan; Obe, Arimoro, Omole, Odo, Edidi, Fayise, and Ogedengbe Agbogungboro for Ijesa; Karara for Ilorin; Ogundipe for Abeokuta; Ologun for Owo; Bakare for Afa; Ali for Iwo; Oderinde for Olupona; Onafowokan and Kuku for Ijebu Ode; Odu for Ogbagi; Adeyale for Ila; Olugbosun for Oye; and Ogunbulu for Aisegba.
Similarly, the Ado Kingdom had its share of distinguished warlords, including Ogbigboniharan of Idolofin Quarters, Ogunmonakin of Okelaja, Eleyinmi Orogirigbona of Okeyinmi, Falowo of Ogbon Ado, and Aduloju of Edemo Quarters. Among these, Aduloju stood out as the most renowned and influential.
The primary goals of this project include but are not limited to the following:
- To document and preserve Yoruba warlord' knowledge.
- Provide audiovisuals of Yoruba warload under a free license for use on Wikipedia.
- Donate high quality audiovisual contents to academic institutions for educational purpose
- Encourage the use of indigenous knowledge.
- Promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in knowledge sharing.
- Fill gaps in Wikimedia projects' content.
The project began in November 2022, but the shooting began on the 2nd of December 2024. Members of the project team traveled to villages in the southwest of Nigeria to record these audiovisuals. The videos were largely short at Ekiti State, Ogun State, Oyo State, Kwara State and Osun State, Nigeria, and a total of 20 audiovisuals were recorded. Tunde Oladimeji, a notable Nigerian documentary filmmaker, actor, director, and television presenter known for pioneering documentary film in indigenous languages in Nigeria, was commissioned and supported by the audiovisual production team at Yoruba Wikimedians User Group. Tunde Oladimeji was commissioned because he has worked on similar projects for the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria. The recordings were done in Yoruba but with English subtitles.The recordings were not scripted, but rather elicited through structured conversations in which the speakers were encouraged to use different grammatical tenses in their language and share culturally relevant knowledge of indigenous vocations.
Work plan and timeline
| Work plan & timeline | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month(s) | Location(s) | Activities | Resulting deliverables | Remarks | |||
| 1st November 2024 - 28th November 2024 | Lagos | Production meetings, elucidation protocol design, shoot days scheduling, and pre-shooting visits | Every arrangement will have been finalized |  Done
| |||
| 2nd – 30th December 2024 | Lagos | Video production (shooting) & post-production (editing, color correction, sound mixing, subtitling; etc.) | 20 quality video produced (2–5 mins). | Done
| |||
| 20th January 2024 | Lagos | Uploads to Commons | The video is uploaded to Commons |  Pending
| |||
| 4th February 2024 | Lagos | Audiovisuals promotion on social media and among community members | Video promoted | Pending
| |||
Communication plan
We have designed a simple communication plan to manage all communications relating to this project.
| Communication type | Objectives of communication | Medium | Frequency | Audience | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production meeting |
|
In-person | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
| Post-production meeting |
|
Online | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
| Video Licensing |
|
In-person | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
Deliverables
| Deliverables | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File type | No. of files | Format | Duration | Approximate size on GB or TB | |||
| Video | 20 | WebM or .ogg | 2 – 5 mins | 15 - 20 MB | |||
January 2025
Yoruba proverb audio recording
The Yoruba Wikimedians User Group is dedicated to preserving culturally relevant knowledge, including Yoruba proverbs. These proverbs are an important form of oral literature, filled with wisdom and drawn from the experiences of elders.
According to M.O. Olatunji (2012), proverbs exist as "wise sayings," aphorisms, and axioms. They reflect everyday realities and hold deep meanings that require an understanding of oral traditions to fully grasp. Yoruba proverbs can be short or complex, structured as single, double, or multiple clauses.
On January 25, 2025, members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group came together to record Yoruba proverbs. More than 20 community members participated in the recording session, which took place in a mini-studio designed for the project by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group. The studio setting was equipped with all the necessary gadgets for high-quality production. Before the recording, over 1,000 proverbs had been collected, and 120 were recorded in this first phase. The majority of participants were female members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group.
The session lasted over nine hours, with each participant recording at least five proverbs. It was facilitated by the President of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, who leveraged his experience as an on-air personality to ensure a smooth and engaging process. Community members were excited to be part of this innovative project.
One participant shared their experience, saying,I thought the Wikimedia movement was only about writing articles on Wikipedia. I don’t enjoy writing, so I was happy to learn today that there are many meaningful ways to contribute to free knowledge without writing Wikipedia articles.
These recorded proverbs have been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and will also be donated to academic institutions as teaching resources for students. In the second phase, we plan to record 200 more proverbs to expand this valuable collection.
February 2025
Folklore and Feminism Writing Contest
The Feminism and Folklore Writing Contest was organized to promote the creation and improvement of articles related to women on the Yoruba Wikipedia, particularly within the context of cultural heritage, traditions, and notable female figures. The contest was strategically held during the month of Wiki Loves Folklore, even though we did not plan to fully participate in the international campaign this year.
The primary goal of the contest was to create at least 50 new articles about women. This goal was successfully exceeded, with over 50 new articles created and dozens of existing articles significantly improved. These contributions helped to address gender content gaps on Yoruba Wikipedia and promote visibility for underrepresented women in folklore, culture, history, and contemporary society.
Other objectives of the contest included:
- Encouraging more female contributors to participate actively in content creation.
- Promoting cultural preservation by documenting notable women in Yoruba folklore and traditional society.
- Fostering community engagement through friendly competition and skill-building.
- Building local editing capacity, particularly in the use of reliable sources and writing standards for biographical content.
At the end of the contest, prizes were awarded to the top-performing participants in recognition of their outstanding contributions and to encourage continued engagement in future editing campaigns. While the initial plan was to offer cash prizes, this idea was later reconsidered, as it could incentivize participants to prioritize quantity over quality in their contributions.
Instead, alternative forms of prizes were explored and adopted, such as branded merchandise, and other non-monetary rewards that still provided meaningful acknowledgment of the participants’ efforts without compromising the integrity of the contest. This approach helped to uphold the core values of the Wikimedia movement, which emphasizes volunteerism, quality contributions, and community growth.
March 2025
Wiki Loves Africa 2025
In March 2025, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group jointly organized the 2025 Wiki Loves Africa International Photography Contest in collaboration with the Fulfulde Wikimedia Community, Hausa Wikimedia Community, Igala Wikimedia Community, Igbo Wikimedia Community, and the Tyap Wikimedia Community. The contest was held from March 1 to April 30, 2025, and was coordinated under the leadership of the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria.
By the end of the 2025 Wiki Loves Africa campaign, a total of 5,876 images were successfully uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by 154 participants, including professional photographers and photo enthusiasts from across Nigeria. This marks a significant improvement compared to the previous year’s edition in 2024, where 2,904 images were contributed.
To improve the quality of contributions, professional photographers were specially invited to join the campaign. A dedicated Zoom onboarding session was held to introduce them to the contest rules, copyright requirements, and uploading procedures. This session also served as a platform to address their questions and concerns. Additionally, we organized photowalks across South West Nigeria to support contributors and encourage the capture of culturally rich, high-quality images aligned with the contest’s theme.
The increase in both the number of contributors and the volume of high-quality uploads reflects the effectiveness of this year’s outreach efforts, including targeted engagement of professional photographers, onboarding sessions, and organized photowalks. To recognize excellence and encourage continued engagement, prizes were awarded at both national and local levels. The Wikimedia User Group Nigeria awarded the National Prize, while the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group sponsored a Local Prize for outstanding submissions within its community. These prizes helped incentivize participation and are expected to contribute to sustained interest in future editions of Wiki Loves Africa.
Let's Connect:Translation-a-thon
On March 29, 2025, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group organized a translation-a-thon as part of the "Let’s Connect" initiative. The translation-a-thon was aimed at strengthening multilingual content on Wikipedia. The event focused on translating articles from the English Wikipedia into Yoruba using the Content Translation tool.
A total of 20 participants took part in the session, and together they translated 45 new articles into Yoruba. The translation-a-thon was coordinated by Ajao Simbiat and provided an opportunity for both new and experienced members of our community to collaboratively expand Yoruba-language content on Wikipedia.
The event also helped participants improve their translation skills, engage with culturally relevant topics, and contribute to closing the content gap in underrepresented languages. Prizes were awarded to the top participants at the end of the edit-a-thon.
April 2025
Yoruba Indigenous Cuisine 2025 (3rd editions)
Annually, the Yoruba Language Unit of the Department of African Language, Literature, and Communication at Lagos State University organizes a Yoruba Indigenous Cuisine event as part of the students' coursework. We are a partner on this project, as it clearly aligns with our Yoruba Oral Traditions initiatives. This is the third time we are partnering with the institution on this project.
Students were asked to identify at least one Yoruba indigenous food, conduct independent research on the food, including its origin, method of preparation, and nutritional quality or value, and prepare it on the day of the event. Preparation of the various dishes began at 8:00 AM under the supervision of academic staff and was completed by 2:00 PM.
At the conclusion of the cooking exercise, all prepared dishes were presented for evaluation by a panel comprising academic staff and representatives from our team. Each dish was assessed based on set criteria, and scores were collated to determine the top-performing teams. The three highest-scoring groups were formally announced and awarded prizes provided by our organization. In addition, commemorative plaques and other branded items were presented to celebrate their achievements.
A total of 123 students actively participated in the program, collaboratively preparing 21 indigenous Yoruba dishes. As part of our documentation and knowledge-sharing goals, over 150 high-quality photographs of the dishes and participants were captured and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
This project also aligns with the broader objectives of Wiki Loves Africa 2025, particularly under its thematic focus on cultural heritage and cuisine. The images contributed have been officially submitted to the Wiki Loves Africa Photography Contest. However, no local prizes will be distributed for the photos, as all images were taken by photographers engaged by our team specifically for documentation purposes.
Yoruba storytelling project
The Yoruba storytelling project was launched in February 2024 at Ibadan. We partnered with Tunde Odunlade Arts Gallery to host the event. This year we partnered with the J.Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History to organize the event and it would be held at the J.Randle Museum, Lagos State. We had initially visisted the Centre to meet with the management on the need for the collaboration. We met with the J.Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History's Chief Executive Officer, Qudus Onikeku, a Nigerian dancer and performer who has been described as "an atypical artist". He was excited about the projects and he described Wikipedia as a brand he loves to associate with. The project was designed and formalized.
On the 4th of April 2025, the User Group issued a two-week call for storytellers, which attracted a total of 72 applications from across Nigeria. An ad-hoc committee reviewed the submissions and selected 15 storytellers, out of which 13 confirmed their participation. These selected storytellers were onboarded and promoted on our social media channels as well as those of the J.Randle Centre, helping to build excitement and broaden awareness of the event.
A total of 15 stories were told and recorded, contributing to the broader Wikimedia movement’s mission to document and preserve local knowledge in oral and multimedia formats. The stories captured spanned traditional folklore, family histories, societal values, and personal reflections — each narrative echoing the richness of Yorùbá oral tradition and the value of community storytelling in sustaining cultural identity.
To appreciate their contributions, all participating storytellers received a commemorative glass photo frame and a modest honorarium to offset transportation costs, especially for those who traveled from neighboring states like Ogun, Oyo, and Osun. This small gesture ensured that the event remained accessible and inclusive, upholding our community values of equity and respect. More information about the storytelling event is documented in this Wikimedia Diff "Celebrating Creativity and Oral Traditions: Yoruba Wikimedians User Group Host 2nd Annual Storytelling Event"
May 2025
Conference of Yoruba Council Worldwide
On May 1, 2025, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group participated in the annual conference of the Yoruba Council Worldwide, the apex umbrella organization uniting various affiliate bodies, including the Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide, Yoruba Council of Women Worldwide, Yoruba Council of Students Worldwide, Yoruba Lawyers Association of Nigeria and Worldwide (also known as Yoruba Council of Lawyers Worldwide), and the Omoluabi School Clubs, among others.
Our participation in the event provided a strategic opportunity to promote the Yoruba Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, while also sharing the broader vision of the Wikimedia movement with a diverse and influential audience.
We took this opportunity to distribute custom-branded souvenirs to all participants as part of our outreach strategy, with the belief that these items serve as effective tools for long-term promotion and visibility of Yoruba-language Wikimedia projects.
During the conference, we were invited to speak about the Wikimedia movement, the mission of free knowledge, and the importance of contributing to Yoruba Wikipedia. The session allowed us to engage directly with stakeholders across education, youth development, legal, and cultural sectors.
In recognition of our impactful contributions to promoting free access to knowledge in the Yoruba language, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group was honored with the prestigious "Omoluabi Award" and a certificate of excellence at the Yoruba Council Worldwide Conference held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on May 1, 2025.
This award affirms our ongoing commitment to cultural preservation, education, and digital empowerment through Yoruba-language Wikimedia projects, including Yoruba Wikipedia and other sister platforms. It also serves as an acknowledgment of the tireless and often underappreciated efforts of our volunteer contributors, whose dedication continues to expand the reach and richness of free knowledge in the Yoruba language.
We were truly excited and deeply encouraged by this recognition, as it highlights that the invaluable work of our community is gaining the visibility and appreciation it deserves, not only within digital spaces but also among traditional and cultural leadership.
The event was attended by prominent dignitaries and leaders from across Yoruba-speaking states in South West Nigeria and the diaspora, representing various sectors including education, government, traditional institutions, youth development, and legal advocacy. The conference took place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was attended by six dedicated members of our community, who represented the group and helped amplify our impact throughout the event.
June 2025
Capacity-building at Adekunle Ajasin University
From June 17 to 18, 2024, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group organized a two-day capacity-building workshop for students and academic staff of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, in Ondo State. The training focused on introducing participants to the fundamentals of Wikipedia editing, how to use the Content Translation Tool, and how to upload media files to Wikimedia Commons.
Over the course of the workshop, more than 30 participants successfully created Wikipedia accounts. At least 10 participants made their first edits and went on to create their first articles. In addition to the training, we held a strategic meeting with the staff adviser, leadership and members of the Yoruba Wikimedia Fan Club at the university. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the club’s current operations and align them with the broader strategic goals of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, as outlined in our Strategic Plan. We emphasized the importance of sustained contributions, collaboration, and local content development on Wikimedia platforms.
The event was graced by the Head of Department of Linguistics and Languages, Professor Temitope Olumuyiwa, and several other academic staff members who expressed their support for the program and the progress nmade. Their presence and encouragement helped foster institutional backing for the Wikimedia movement within the university community.
We are optimistic that this training will mark the beginning of sustained engagement from participants, both students and staff alike. The newly trained editors are currently being mentored remotely, and plans are already in place to conduct a follow-up training session in November 2025 to reinforce learning, track progress, and further build editing skills.
This outreach aligns with our mission to promote free knowledge in the Yoruba language and build a strong, diverse, and inclusive community of contributors across higher institutions in Nigeria.
Wikipedia Edit-a-thon: Women in politics
On June 21, 2025, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group organized an edit-a-thon as part of the global Art+Feminism campaign, focusing on the creation and improvement of content about women in politics on Yoruba Wikipedia. The event took place at La Regia Airport Hotel in Lagos and was attended by active members of our community based in the Lagos area.
The edit-a-thon served as both a knowledge-building and advocacy platform, celebrating the contributions of women to society and promoting greater gender representation on Wikipedia. The event was led by female members of our user group, who facilitated sessions on content creation, editing guidelines, and sourcing reliable information.
We were excited to welcome several new participants who were attending a Wikimedia event for the first time. A dedicated introductory session on Wikipedia editing basics was held for them. During this session, the newcomers successfully created their Wikipedia accounts and made their first contributions, marking the beginning of their journey as Wikimedia editors.
The event provided an opportunity for networking, mentorship, and collaboration, and reinforced our commitment to closing the gender gap in Wikipedia content, particularly in the Yoruba language.
Yoruba Wikipedia Awareness and Training
On June 21, 2025, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group organized a Yoruba Wikipedia awareness campaign and training session in Offa, Kwara State, as part of its strategic efforts to promote the visibility and use of Yoruba-language Wikimedia projects, particularly Yoruba Wikipedia, and to grow its community of contributors in culturally significant regions.
Although Kwara State is geographically situated in North-Central Nigeria, it is widely recognized for its Yoruba-speaking majority and its deep-rooted cultural and historical connections to the Yoruba people. It also serves as a bridge between Yoruba and Fulani communities, making it an ideal location for outreach that promotes cross-cultural collaboration and inclusivity within the Wikimedia movement.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Offa Descendants Union (ODU), an influential socio-cultural organization committed to the development and preservation of Offa’s heritage. The training was held at the ODU Headquarters in Offa, offering both symbolic and logistical significance as a venue that represents local pride, unity, and intellectual engagement.
This collaboration with ODU helped us reach a diverse audience, including educators, students, scholars, and local opinion leaders—people who are well-positioned to serve as ambassadors for the Yoruba Wikipedia and extend the impact of our community's mission. It also set the stage for future partnerships and expanded presence in other parts of Kwara State and the wider North-Central region.
The session was attended by a diverse group of over 200 participants, including teachers, scholars, secondary school students, and college students. The participants were introduced to the Yoruba Wikipedia, its purpose, and how they can contribute to the growth of free knowledge in the Yoruba language.
The reception was overwhelmingly positive. Many participants expressed excitement about discovering Yoruba Wikipedia for the first time. Several teachers in attendance have since initiated discussions with our team to organize dedicated capacity-building workshops for their students, a promising sign for long-term engagement.
The campaign not only created awareness but also laid the foundation for future collaborations and potential fan clubs within academic institutions in Kwara State.