Wiki Loves Africa 2024/Organizing team

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International team

Wilson
is the facilitator of the Wiki Loves Africa. He is a wise-amateur photographer who has been actively involved with the movement via Igbo Wikimedians User Group. He founded a community for wikimedians interested in contributing free knowledge through Wikimedia Commons.

Anthere
Florence Devouard has been a wikipedian since early 2002. She is formerly Chairwoman of Wikimedia Foundation as well as a co-founder of Wikimedia France. She cares very much for diversity, international participation, and multilingualism.

So late 2012, she decided to refocus her attention to diversity (or lack there-of) and co-created projects with Isla Haddow Flood with the explicit goal of getting more African editors and more African-related content onto Wikimedia project. In the following years, Florence has conceptualised, instigated and been the co-lead on a number of projects related to Wikipedia and Africa, including as Wiki Loves Africa. In 2017, she co-founded Wiki In Africa, a South Africa based association along with Iolanda Pensa and Isla Haddow-Flood to host some of those initiatives, and ever since then co-lead the association with Isla.

Islahaddow
A Zimbabwean by birth, and a Capetonian by adoption, Oxford-educated Isla Haddow-Flood is a writer, editor and project and communications 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 as a member of the WikiAfrica movement, she has conceptualised, instigated and been the co-lead on a number of projects related to Wikipedia and Africa, including as Wiki Loves Africa. She lives in Simon's Town, South Africa, is the Director of Communication for Open Education Global and co-leads Wiki In Africa.

User:Romaine
Romaine has been a contributor to Wikimedia projects since 2003; over the years helping out as administrator of several wikis, GLAM volunteer, publisher of the Wikimedia newsletter This Month in GLAM. He's often fixing template problems, active with bots, and is since 2014 involved with the organization of Wiki Loves Africa. For this photo contest he mostly does on-wiki technical support with templates and the upload wizard, translations, and the CentralNotice banner. You can reach him on his talk page, via email at Romaine.wiki@gmail.com.

user:GuillaumeG - Image clean-up and tools. See Commons:Wiki Loves Africa 2022/Images checking

Wiki Loves Africa Ambassadors

This is an elite group of individuals who will be doing the sensitive task of providing linguistic and administrative support for the Wiki Loves Africa project life cycle. Their tasks include but not limited to:

Translations
Social media
Office Hours to support
Training sessions
Jury support
WLA Website

The 2024 ambassadors are:

Minette is one of Wiki Loves Africa French Ambassador. She is a Wikimedian from Cameroon. She has been an organizer of WLA in Cameroon since 2021.

Ogalihillary is Wikimedian from Nigeria, a member of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group and core team for Igala Wikimedia Community. Hilary was the community lead for IG WIKI-COMMONS HUB in the year 2023.

Mermoze ADODO is a Wikimedian since 2018. Founding member of the Wikimédiens du Bénin User Group, Co Local Organizer of Wiki Loves Africa in Benin 2019-2020, 2021-2022;

Since 2020: Verification and evaluation of images from Wiki Loves Africa, in order to make them more visible and useful on other Wikimedia projects; Image clean-up (categories, description, renaming etc.) and submission of our best pictures to quality and featured status. See Commons:Wiki Loves Africa/WLA images under evaluation.

Alvin Ategyeka, a committed Wikimedian since 2019, is a notable contributor to the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda. For over 5 years, Alvin has actively participated in building a diverse collection on Wikimedia Commons, highlighting the cultural richness of Uganda.

Within the Ugandan Wikimedia community, Alvin serves as a mentor, guiding new contributors to share their unique stories on Wiki Commons. His dedication extends beyond photography to fostering community engagement and cultural representation, making a lasting impact on the Wikimedia landscape in Uganda

Donia is a board member of Egypt Wikimedians User Group. She has been active in Wikimedia projects since 2019. She has founded the Wikipedian Editor Project and has organized the Egyptian edition of many photo contests; WLM 2020 & WLM 2023, WLA 2021, WLE 2022 & WLE 2023.

Ola, a Sudanese Wikimedian since 2018, co-founder of Sudan Community Wikimedia Community User Group Sudan. She is mainly involved around recruiting new user community growth and visibility.

Within the global community, Ola has started the SheSaid Sudan Derive and is a member of Wiki Love Women focus Group which is mainly contributing towards bridging the gender gap on Wikimedia community. Her efforts when it comes to the African community is contributing within the Wiki Love Africa annual Photo contest to motivate more African photographer to join the efforts towards reflecting Africa better and Sudan in smaller scale.

She is also the organizer of WikiGap 2020, WLA2020, WLA2022

Local team

For local organizers, check the list of participating communities as well as the very detailed page countries page

Jury

International Photography Jury

This year’s jury was compiled and arranged by Wilson and Nonny Ntlahla. The process is conducted on Montage and has four specific sequential parts: a yes/no round, a rating round, a ranking round and a final ranking discussion.

Juror	Biography	Photo
Eric Chidom, Nigeria	Eric Chidom is a documentary photographer and filmmaker, based in Enugu State, Nigeria, with 3 years of professional experience. Eric is all about creating lasting memories and capturing them for generations to come. His main focus is documenting culture, especially in South-Eastern Nigeria, as a way to learn more about my own culture but also showcase it to the world. Eric is a partner and Head of Productions at Ònye Ijé Productions, which specialises in producing research-based documentaries focused on Nigerian stories and culture. He is also the Lead Creative at Dorick Productions, a media company focused on event photography and videography, including weddings and conferences.
Musa Umar, Nigeria	Musa is a graduate of mass communication from Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic in Nigeria. He is a co-founder of Nigerian Commons Photographers User Group. He is a photographer with mostly light skills and composure. He has more experience in in-depth pictures, action pictures and pictures that tell stories. He believes pictures tell stories better!
Michael Maggs, United Kingdom	Maggs is a photographer, a former chair of Wikimedia UK and a former bureaucrat on Commons. In 2013 he set up the Wiki Loves Monuments contest in the UK, and led the UK efforts to 2019. Michael's contributions to Commons can be found here.
David Brazier, Zimbabwe	In the early 1990’s David Brazier founded a small professional studio in Harare focusing on architectural, environmental and development assignments and worked as a stringer for Agence France Press in Harare. His architectural work has been published in the New York Times, the International Ove Arup Journal and the Architectural Review. His photos have been featured in the Zimbabwean Review journal, Revue Noire, the cover of TIME Magazine (Africa), National Geographic Africa, Claiming Landscapes, Warscapes, Ogogii magazine.	XXX
Nicky Newman, South Africa	Nicky is a photographer and documentary filmmaker who studied Journalism & Media and Psychology at Rhodes University in the late 1980s. She established a documentary production company, See Thru Media, producing, directing, shooting, and editing award-winning documentary films for the broadcast industry and developmental sector for over 20 years with a focus on arts and culture. Newman is focusing on stills photography, was a finalist in the Hopper Art Prize 2020, and shortlisted for the Zeiss Photography Award in 2017. She is working on her first photography book, developing a number of new photographic bodies of work, is completing a feature length documentary on theatre playwright with director Brett Bailey. In 2021, Nicky successfully completed the Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) Talent Unlocked program for artists. Nicky's website can be found here	Photo
Fabrice Sokpor, Senegal	A Senegalese photographer and art director at GBD Groupe based out of Dakar	Photo
Marion Walton, South Africa	Marion’s research explores the connections between media studies and the study of software, digital media, social networks and games. She has a particular interest in mobile media and developing new research methodologies for the study of interactive media, and user experiences of social and participatory media. Her research in Human Computer Interaction suggests approaches to studying software as a new form of media, and confronts the issues of power and regulation of meaning that arise for users of software, particularly those in marginalized contexts. Her PhD studies included a period at the University of London's Institute of Education where she was hosted at the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media. She has a particular interest in children and youth media and she can be found watching Wallace and Gromit or playing World of Warcraft.	Photo
Busayo Adekunkle, Nigeria	Busayo is a photographer based in Nigeria and the lead photographer at KODEDKRATIONZ STUDIOS. He runs a commercial photography business both in Abuja and Lagos of Nigeria. Over the course of the last decade, I have committed myself to honing my skills in portrait photography with exceptional mastery of lighting, shooting and retouching. I have transitioned from a passionate photographer to a freelancer and now to building a sustainable global brand with a strong culture of excellence, dependability and commitment to seeing memories preserved.	Photo
Geoffrey Kateregga, Uganda	Geoffrey is a community leader in the Wikimedia Usergroup Uganda and the community projects lead at Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team.
Ola Alsheikh, Sudan	Ola is a Sudanese documentary photographer since 2009. She is interested in documenting people`s life journey, as well as her own. Telling stories became her life’s purpose, with a continuous passion to convey the spirit of Sudan`s everyday life in the 21st century. She hopes to raise social awareness and make a difference by changing and updating the world`s view of Sudan. Alsheikh has participated in many photography master classes and group exhibitions, and is co-founder and member of the Sudanese Photographers Group established in 2012. She is also a member of the African photojournalism Data Base (APJD), a joint project of the World Press Photo Foundation and Everyday Africa. Some of her work has been published in Le Monde and BBC News Africa.
Bouba Kam's, Côte d'Ivoire	Aboubacar Kamaté is an Ivorian videographer and video director. He won the Best video quality prizes for Wiki Loves Africa 2020 and Wiki Loves Africa 2021

International Video Jury

Last year's edition of the contest was the first time a video jury has been arranged in the Wikimedia movement. It was compiled and arranged by Wilson and Isla Haddow-Flood. Similar to last year process, 2024 will be conducted via Google forms and has three specific sequential parts: a yes/no round, a rating round, and a final ranking discussion.

Juror	Biography	Photo
Joan Onanyo, Nigeria	Joan is a business administrator, serial entrepreneur, content creator, and YouTuber from Nigeria. She is a dedicated contributor to Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons.
Muhammed Amine Benloulou, Algeria	Muhammed Amine Benloulou is a Wikimedian from Algeria, as well as an artistic manager, film director, and hip-hop culture researcher. He is the artistic director of the WikiGhonya project and served as a community liaison in the MENA region for the Wikimedia Foundation Sound Logo team. Notably, he was the project manager for the Wiki For Climate Change 2023: Right to a Healthy Environment campaign in the Maghreb Region, where he oversaw the production of the promotional video. In 2023, he released "The Black Panthers of Algeria: A Story of Struggle in the Land of Revolutions," a short documentary film that examines the relationship between the African American liberation movement and the Algerian revolution.
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Fayçal Rezkallah, Algeria	Fayçal Rezkallah is a photographer and director of a photography agency in Oran, Algeria. in 2012, he created ISOCLUB, a photography club which organizes an international photo festival called Les journées de la photo d'Oran. Fayçal exhibits his work in Algeria, but also in South Africa, Germany, France, Tunisia, London and is often a jury for international photography contests.
Isla Haddow-Flood, South-Africa	Isla is an African Wikipedian who lives in Cape Town, South Africa. She is also the co-lead for Wiki In Africa which facilitates projects across Africa galvanising and growing Wikimedia communities that adds African content to the Wikimedia and other Open platforms. She has been a member of the Simple APG committee (since May 2017) and was an Advocacy Working Group member during the Movement Strategy 2030 process from 2018 until end of 2019.

First review 2024

This year, we again asked the community to participate in a clean up of the images submitted to Wiki Loves Africa 2023. The community members who participated were:

This First Review round is to reduce submitted images to a manageable number for a more in-depth selection by the international jury. The First Review Team chose yes (to keep) or no (to drop) each image assigned to them according to the following criteria:

Images must be relevant to the theme.
The quality of the image - is it obviously blurred, pixellated, etc.
The deletion of any selfies, very small images or blurred and unclear works.

Thank you so much for their work on this first round!