Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia/Reports/Wikimania 2023/AssFeder

Wikimania Singapore 2023/Report/AssFeder

This report consists of the experience and outcome from Wikimania Singapore 2023. The conference lasted from 15th August to 20th August 2023 at Suntec City, Singapore.

Things that I learned at the conference

Wikimania 2023 was an eye-opening experience for me. As a new user of Wikipedia, I was not aware of the scale that the Wikimedia movement poses. To the extent of my knowledge, Wikipedia was just a platform that people use to gather information about important people’s biography or important topics such as facts, science, etc. Little that I know that this was just a small portion of what Wikimedia provides to society around the world. My expectation of the outcome to earn from Wikimania 2023 was delightfully exceeded. Not only have I attained knowledge, but I have also connected with individuals from around the world who share similar values as I do in freeing knowledge for everyone #bebaskanpengetahuan.

The ideas that have been presented from several sessions that I have attended showed how life-changing the movement of freeing knowledge can be especially for those who are underprivileged to attend school from every corner of the world. To exemplify, coming from a community in Sabah where the mindset that knowledge can only be earned through attending school was emphasized, this idea was originally foreign to me. Not only that, most of the youth and younger generation from my community were the product of war migrants from the Philippines that came to seek asylum in Sabah which means some of them have no paperwork nor can they afford to attend school or learning institutions in the country. Therefore, free knowledge is something that they rely on. I am grateful that my family managed to get out of the rut, yet I still see the importance of accessible and free knowledge for others who might not share my opportunities. This is what I can at least encourage them to dive into and Wikimania has enlightened me to pursue this opportunity of spreading knowledge without boundaries.

Furthermore, I was also in awe of all the efforts from Wikimedians from around the world to preserve the knowledge and information that are slowly being forgotten by society and getting to extinction. The initiatives from Wikimedia Malaysia and Wikimedia Bali to achieve the preservation of extinct and indigenous languages were part of it. I have then learned how to navigate and advocate for the digitalization of these initiatives through the use of Wiktionary (WikiKamus) and from afar, support and be hopeful for the success of WikiLontar as well. Although involvement from the local communities is part of the challenges faced due to the fact that contributing to Wikimedia is a voluntary act, this has not stopped the Wikimedians from Malaysia to keep on encouraging people to delve into and educate people about Wikimedia. This is something that I really look up to.

Most of the sessions that I attended in Wikimania 2023 were related to the education, legal, and technology aspects of Wikimedia platforms. These sessions were something that I was more passionate about compared to the others as I am more of a technical, rules, and regulations individual. To simplify all, through the session of Internet-in-a-box, I have seen how the Wikimedia community is looking to help people from every corner of the world get access to Wikimedia, especially the places where internet connections are not easily accessible. I have also learned to equip myself with basic knowledge of Wikipedia and Simple English Wikipedia through Basic Workshops held. The sessions from WikiData that I attended were also resourceful as I studied the ways to structure data and ensure its efficiency to support the content poured into Wikipedia and across the Wikimedia platforms. My favorite out of all the sessions I attended was regarding the WikiLearn project which was presented by Asaf Bartov. It has given me hope that this platform may even match up to a paid platform such as LinkedIn Learning, but of course, for free, to spread knowledge at a specification for society. The legal and advocacy sessions have also allowed my trust in Wikimedia as I see that there are passionate volunteers and staff from Wikimedia Foundation who are devoted to ensuring that the content served across the platforms does not discriminate nor is vandalized by irresponsible users. Finally, the ESEAP sessions had me excited to see growth and success in the multiple projects that will help preserve the languages, cultures, and heritage within the region.

Things that I contributed to and participated in the conference

On the first day of Wikimania, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion during a side event at Google Asia Pacific Headquarters in Singapore. In this session, I was involved in the discussion about the culture gap and culture preservation throughout Wikimedia Commons, WikiSource, and Wiktionary. The panelists of the discussion were Mr. Sakti, Ms. Citra, Mr. Taufik, and Mr. Satdeep. I have observed the information and gained knowledge regarding the initiatives taken from Wikimedians of the ESEAP region in digitalizing heritage manuscripts and indigenous languages.

I have also attended a few basic workshops which were beneficial for me as a new user of Wikimedia. One highlight is from the Wikipedia Basic Workshops led by Mr. Ardzun, Rafli Noel, and two other Wikimedians. In this workshop, I was trained on the basic editing of Wikipedia and how to navigate around the platform. Then the attendees were given the task of simplifying English Wikipedia articles into Simple English Wikipedia. I have chosen to simplify the article about Education in Singapore.

Next, I have gathered my focus on attending sessions that were related to technology, legal, advocacy, and education in the next few days of the conference.

Technology - Joining Wikipedia with Web2Cit and Internet-in-a-Box sessions to gain insights on the work done to develop the Wikimedia interface and connection worldwide. I have also attended the session on AI advancements and the Wikimedia projects which taught me how AI and some Wikimedia platforms were in need of each other to sustain and operate.
Legal, Advocacy, and Risks - Sessions such as Better Sharing with AI and Copyrighting were the sessions attended. The contribution was minimal since the sessions were mainly to educate attendees on the etiquette of using Wikimedia platforms.
Education - WikLearn and WIkiData teaching were a couple of the education sessions attended. I have reached out for an opportunity to be an admin for WikiLearn if the project is successfully executed.

Nevertheless, I did attend some sessions such as the ESEAP meet and greet with Ms. Maki Katsuno who is the Director of UNESCO for Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Brunei, and Timor Leste where discussed the initiatives taken by the ESEAP Wikimedia communities in preserving cultural and heritage. Evening sessions such as the Wikipedia race, Wiki-Fashion show, and Wiki Karaoke were also sessions that I participated in.

My plans after the conference

Upon seeing how much more development and contribution to Wikimedia platforms from the Malaysian community are needed, I have become more eager to increase my participation in the projects that the organization will pursue. My plans and goals after the conference include:

Actively translating articles on different topics into Malay Wikipedia (Ensiklopedia Bebas Bahasa Melayu).
Increase the uploads of Malaysian culture and heritage photos and videos into WikiCommons.
Execute editorial content to promote and increase awareness about Wikimedia Malaysia through social media platforms and if possible, printed materials.
Designing merchandise and souvenirs for Wikimedia Malaysia.
Participating in events and projects by Wikimedia Malaysia and other collaborating organizations. I hope to improve my understanding and knowledge regarding the Wikimedia platforms. Apart from that, I also look forward to navigating these platforms smoothly as well through my continuous learning from the projects.
Approaching and encouraging new involvement of the local community into Wiktionary and Wikipedia.

After the conference, I slowly started to join the Wiktionary (WikiKamus) project and workshops where I got to learn how to insert new words (indigenous languages words) into Wiktionary. From this project, we share the goal of penetrating the indigenous community in Malaysia to help them preserve their language. This specific project is currently reaching out to the Mendriq indigenous people who are currently residing in Kuala Lah, Gua Musang, Kelantan. For context, the Mendriq language is on the verge of extinction where in the span of 20 years, if not preserved, the language may be extinct. With this initiative, we hope to protect the language.

Acknowledgements

Last but not least, I would like to extend my gratitude and applause to Wikimedia Malaysia for the opportunity given to me to attend this amazing conference. It was also great to see how much impact the Wikimedia Malaysia community projects have had on the Malaysians and it was heartwarming to see the support it received from everyone. I have gathered more than just knowledge but also the determination to continue the legacy of freeing knowledge through Wikimedia. I shall also express my gratitude and respect to the heart of Wikimedia Malaysia, Taufik Rosman (Username: Tofeiku) for his constant belief and effort in preserving the indigenous languages and cultures in Malaysia. It is truly inspiring to see someone working so hard to ensure that originality should not be left behind regardless of civilization and evolution. Undeniably, his award as the Wikimedian of The Year is well-deserved.

Acknowledgment I also want to make for Ali who has portrayed to me what confidence and persistence looks like, and then to Farouk and Faris who has been my loyal companion throughout the week of the conference. I have really enjoyed walking with them to and fro the conference while having resourceful conversations about so many interesting topics (i.e. Politics and transportation in Malaysia). I only wish and pray for continuous success for Wikimedia Malaysia in every path of freeing knowledge #membebaskanpengetahuan that it works on. I believe the passionate Malaysian Wikimedians will take this movement to success. May Allah SWT make it easy for Wikimedia Malaysia. Wikimania 2023 is very dear to me and I hope to be able to join every Wikimania after this, InsyaAllah. I am excited for Poland!

Comments and suggestions for the conference

The conference went very smoothly. I really appreciate the accessibility of the location of the hotel chosen for my stay. The attendees of Wikimania 2023 from around the world were very warm and respectful to each other. It was also very thoughtful of the organizer to prepare halal meals and extra space and time for Muslim prayers in the midst of the conference. One suggestion may be to specify the location clearly for the evening activities because there were a few Park Royal hotels located in Singapore. This may cause confusion as to which hotel to go to. Clarification will be helpful to ease the journey, especially for those who walk to their destination. Overall, thank you to organizer for such a memorable event!