Wiki In Africa/Team

__Wiki In Africa__

Mission

Governance

Team

Wiki Loves Africa

Wiki Loves Women

Education

GLAM

Community

Climate

Access via Tech

Links & News

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
Job openings
Fiscal Sponsorship
Grants and Reports
Make a donation
Project external links
Blog : WIA blog
Subscribe to newsletter
Youtube: Wiki In Africa channel
Twitter: @WikiAfrica
Instagram: @WikiLovesWomen
Facebook page : @WikiAfrica
Linked In: Connect here
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The operational team behind Wiki In Africa

Wiki In Africa was co-founded by User:Islahaddow, User:Anthere and User:Iopensa in 2016, although official registration took place in March 2017. Since then, the core operations team has been made up of Isla and Florence with the support, collaboration and partnership of many members of the Wikimedia movement to implement Wiki In Africa's programmes across Africa and beyond. Additional staff members joined the team since 2021.

Current staff

Isla Haddow-Flood (South Africa), Chair and Co-lead

A Zimbabwean by birth, and a Capetonian by adoption, Oxford-educated Isla Haddow-Flood is a writer, editor and project strategist who is passionate about harnessing communication technology and media platforms for the advancement of open access to knowledge; specifically, knowledge that relates to and enhances the understanding of Africa via the Open Movement (and especially Wikipedia). Since 2011, Isla has been working to Activate Africa. Working with members of the WikiAfrica movement, she has conceptualised and instigated #OpenAfrica, Kumusha Bus and WikiEntrepreneur. :With Anthere/Florence, she has also been the co-leader of projects related to Wikipedia and Africa, such as Wiki Loves Africa (annual photographic contest), Kumusha Takes Wiki (citizen journalists in Africa collecting freely-licensed content). In 2016, Florence and Isla developed and ran Wiki Loves Women (content liberation project related to African Women), Wikipack Africa (an action kit for Wikipedians across Africa), WikiFundi (an offline editing environment that mimics Wikipedia), WikiAfrica Schools (a pilot schools programme in high schools in South Africa) and WikiChallenge African Schools (that introduces the next generation of editors to Wikipedia).

Main affiliations

• Co-Executive Director of Wiki in Africa (non-affiliated association)
• Communications Director at Open Education Global (OEGlobal)
• Former member of the Board Wikimedia ZA

Florence Devouard (France) Co-Lead

A Wikipedian since 2002, a former Chair of Wikimedia Foundation and a founding member of Wikimedia France, Florence Devouard was born in France where she currently lives. Above everything, she loves to share her knowledge of new practices and online communities. She cares for language diversity and multicultural dialogue and is a supporter of the open-source and free knowledge movement.

Since 2013, Florence is the co-leader on projects related to Wikipedia and Africa, such as Wiki Loves Africa (photographic contest in Africa), Kumusha Takes Wiki (citizen journalism to collect and create freely-licensed content in Africa). She also participated as the Scientific Collaborator at SUSPI to the Wikipedia Primary School SSAJRP research programme (developing and evaluating a system to assess Wikipedia articles for primary education in South Africa). In 2016, Florence and Isla developed and ran Wiki Loves Women (content liberation project related to African Women), Wikipack Africa (an action kit for Wikipedians across Africa), WikiFundi (an offline editing environment that mimics Wikipedia), and WikiChallenge African Schools (that introduces the next generation of editors to Wikipedia).

Main affiliations

• Co-Executive Director of Wiki in Africa (non affiliated association)
• Wikipedian-in-Residence at World Intellectual Property Rights (WIPO)
• Financial Auditor and member of m:Les sans pagEs UserGroup (contact member for the affiliate)
• Member of Wikimedians for offline wikis UG (contact member for the affiliate)
• Member of the Wikimedians in Residence Exchange Network UG
• Former Chair of Wikimedia Foundation
• Co-founder, former Vice-Chair and currently member of Wikimédia France Chapter
• Former treasurer of WikiFranca (hub-to-be for French speaking wikimedia groups)
• Board member of Open Food Facts
• Vice-Chair of Ynternet.org

Rachel Zadok (South Africa), Communications Manager since 2022 + Project Manager, Inspiring Open

Rachel Zadok is an editor, writer and designer and the author of two novels: Gem Squash Tokoloshe (Pan Macmillan, 2005), shortlisted for The Whitbread First Novel Award and The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and longlisted for the IMPAC Award; and Sister-sister (Kwela Books, 2013), shortlisted for the University of Johannesburg Prize and The Herman Charles Bosman Prize, and longlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Award. She is the managing editor of Short Story Day Africa, a project to promote and develop African writers using the medium of the short story, and as such has published seven anthologies of African short fiction.

She is also the communications manager for Wiki in Africa and the project manager for Inspiring Open, a podcast series of Wiki Loves Women, a project of Wiki in Africa.

Afek Ben Chahed (Tunisia), Community Facilitator since 2022

Afek Ben Chahed, Tunisian, Librarian and an active member of Wikimedia Tunisia User Group since 2016 after winning the first prize of Wiki Women Tunisia. She co-organised several projects and contests as Wiki Loves Africa in Tunisia, WikiChallenge Ecoles d'Afrique, WikiGap, Art and Feminism, and leaded the expansion project of the ArabCom by creating a new community in Mauritania. She was involved in organising many events as WikiIndaba 2018, Wiki Summit 2019(The visiting Wikimedian), WikiConvention Francophone 2019 and WikiArabia 2019. On 2020, she integrated the board of Wikimedia Tunisia as a vice president. Passionate about heritage, she co-founded Africvs, a youth collective which works on promoting and documenting the Tunisian heritage.

Nonny Ntlahla (South Africa), Administrative Support since 2022

Nonny_Ntlahla_Portrait

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Nonny graduated from Stellenbosch University with a degree in Social Science, specialising in Psychology and Political Sciences. Complementing her academic background, she holds a Health and Fitness Diploma and possesses a deep-seated passion for the intersection of Mental Health and Sports/Physical Exercise, recognising their potential for catalysing social and community development.

Currently pursuing a Finance Degree, Nonny aspires to leverage her financial knowledge to support nonprofits in assessing vital funding among other financial needs. As an Administrative Assistant at the Wiki In Africa (Nonprofit Organisation), she is actively engaged in acquiring diverse skills and knowledge, with a focus on advancing her commitment to promoting Mental and Physical Health. Through her multifaceted experiences, Nonny remains dedicated to making meaningful contributions to the well-being of individuals and communities.

Donia Domiaty(Egypt), Community Facilitator since 2024

Wikiar2022 0321 (cropped)

Donia Domiaty is an intern and medical researcher. She serves as a board member of Egypt Wikimedians User Group and holds the position of relations and communications manager within EgUG. Additionally, she is one of the Movement Charter Ambassadors for the MENA region. Donia has previously served as a member of the Leadership Development Working Group (LDWG) for a one-year commitment. She currently holds the role of Arabic Ambassador for Wiki Loves Africa 2024, following her organization of local editions for various photo contests, including Wiki Loves Monuments 2020 & 2023, Wiki Loves Africa 2021, and Wiki Loves Earth 2022 & 2023.

Donia has been actively contributing to Arabic Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons since 2019. She is the founder of the Wikipedian Editor Project, an initiative aimed at teaching volunteers to contribute to Wikipedia and its sister projects. Donia has led numerous workshops, events, and contests within both the Egyptian and broader Arabic communities.

Hilary Ogali' (Nigeria), Community Facilitator since 2024

A Wikimedian from Nigeria, Hilary is a civil engineer with a passion for language preservation. He is an amateur photographer, trainer, public speaker, graphic designer and footballer who joined the Wikimedia movement in 2022 through the Igbo Wikimedians User Group in Nigeria. In december 2023, he joined the Wiki Loves Africa international team as an ambassador for the english speaking communities. He is a member of the programs committe for Igbo Wikimedians User Group, he is also the community and project lead for IG WikiCommons Hub – a community of Nigerians committed to contributing content to the open knowledge movement via Wikimedia Commons. He is a local organizer of Wiki Loves Africa and Wiki Loves Folklore photography campaigns. Hilary was part of the team who worked in bringing up Igala Wikipedia from incubator.

Wiki In Africa Alumni

We have been honoured to work with the following Wikimedians as contracted staff (starting as interns) or as part of a local country project team. View all the people who have worked with us on a project by project basis on the Wiki In Africa Alumni. Many of our colleagues have successfully continued their Wikimedia work by lead the movement in a number of inspiring ways. (We even have a Wikipedian of the Year in the list!) We hope their invaluable work with us has contributed to their growth and journey in the open movement.

Former staff members

Wilson Oluoha (Nigeria), Community Facilitator 2023-2024

Wilson was a multi-lingual Information and Media Scientist with a passion for open access to knowledge and building sustainable knowledge communities.

He was a wise amateur photographer, public speaker and budding pro cyclist who joined the Wikimedia movement in 2018 through the Igbo language affiliate in Nigeria. In 2022, he founded IG Wiki Commons Hub - a community of Nigerians committed to contributing content to the open knowledge movement via Wikimedia Commons. Tragically, Wilson died in 2024. We mourn his loss.

Candy Tricia Khohliwe (Botswana), Wiki Loves Women Administrative Assistant 2021

Candy Tricia Khohliwe is a long-term editor and member of the Wikimedia Botswana Usergroup. She has led two successful Wiki Loves Africa photo contest and a successful Art and Feminism Editathon and panel discussion. She was the coordinator with Wiki Loves Women Focus Group Members initiative in 2021.

Ceslause Ogbonnaya (Nigeria), Community Facilitator 2021-2023

Ceslause Ogbonnaya is an education enthusiast who currently lives in Abuja, Nigeria. Though born in Nigeria, his flair for foreign languages led him to study B.A French (Major), and German (Minor) at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, during which he had his French language immersion at Centre International de Recherche et d’Etude de Langues (CIREL) of Université de Lomé, Togo, the Republic of Bénin, Cote D’Ivoire and Senegal. He was also the Director of Socials for the university’s Modern Languages Association (MLA) during his final year in the university.

His passion for education led to him co-founding Centre d’Etudes de la Langue Française Shalom (CELF SHALOM) in 2012, an educative excursion outfit, aimed at helping Nigerians attain high proficiency in French language. He joined the Texas based Menes Konsult and the Pretoria based Europlaw Group later in 2016 as a Bilingual French/English Business Specialist in their Nigerian office, and worked with Vera Wang on a social enterprise Miss Fashion Week Africa, aimed at helping African models shoot into the international spotlight.

He joined the Wikimedia movement in 2018, and has been actively involved in the Igbo Wikimedians User Group. In 2020, he was one of the grantees of Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos (WPWP) annual project grant, and he was also the Project lead for the 2020 Igbo Wikimedians User Group WPWP project. He won the first prize in the Igbo Wikimedians UG for the 2020 Decolonize the Internet Contest. He currently is the Wikimedian-In-Residence for Africa Knowledge Initiative project. He was also part of the WikiIndaba 2022 Conference CoT, and worked under the Sponsorships & Partnerships unit.

Sadik Shahadu(Ghana), Wiki In Africa Intern 2022

Sadik is a project manager, researcher and Co-Founder of the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group. He has served as the West African Indigenous Language Coordinator at Art+Feminism, a steering committee member of the Wikimedia Language Diversity Hub, and have previously served as a volunteer on the Wikimedia project grants committee. Outside the Wikimedia community, he is a Mozilla Open Leader X fellow, a MozFest wrangler and ambassador for the Mozilla festival 2022.

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