Wikimedia Ghana User Group/Wikipedia and Ghanaian Languages

Background

Wikipedia and Ghanaian Languages research focuses on assessing the motivations for and approaches to content creation for local language Ghanaian Wikipedias. It also looks at the opportunities for improvement of volunteer contributions and the final dissemination of the content to the intended users.

As a geographic affiliate of Ghana, this research aims to produce a whitepaper that will guide Wikimedia Ghana support for the development of local language Wikipedias.

Historical Context of Wikimedia Ghana User Group's Work with the Ghanaian Language Wikis

Since 2012, the Wikimedia Ghana User Group (wmgh) started and supported the development of some southern Ghanaian language Wikipedias.

The group's key work has included:

English to Akan Translation project in 2012, where we used the Google Translate Toolkit to translate English content into Twi, aiming to boost contributions to the then Akan Wikipedia which has now given way for the Twi Wikipedia.
Joining 16 African Women Translate-a-thon in 2017 to create content for Twi and Ewe Wikipedia.
Partnership with Global Innovation Gathering to create both text and spoken Wikipedia content on the topic of migration from Ghana to Europe.
Supporting the closure of the erroneously named Akan Wikipedia to pave the way for the creation of Wikipedias of the various Akan languages.

In the course of the projects over the years, we observed the following challenges and opportunities:

Challenges

Limited number of contributors to local language Wikipedias. Volunteers signing up for content creation could be identified as native speakers of the language in question but could not write it at a level fit for an encyclopaedia. It was more productive hiring professional translators and giving them technical support and training in Wikipedia editing to create the desired content.

Where we were able to create content, we were not clear if the content would be used, as the problem of natives not being able to write our local languages was also replicated in this area of use. The natives can’t read the content either. Additionally, the content was not of the quality for reading anyway.

Lastly, there was limited awareness about the existence of local language Wikipedias; suppose there were readers or users among the Ghanaian or global public.

Opportunities

We recognised that there were opportunities to learn more about the public’s awareness and use of local Wikipedias. We also noted that there is an opportunity to discover and connect Ghanaians who can actually write local languages and create quality content to the Wikimedia movement.

Hence, the user group started planning in 2020 to engage the Ghana Institute of Languages to learn what was the best way forward, but rerouted our efforts to research the usefulness of Ghanaian language Wikipedias. The outcome of the study would guide our next steps towards content creation for Ghanaian Languages.

Languages in Ghana

About 80 languages are spoken in Ghana. However English is the official language and plays a significant role in communication, education, governance, and media. Therefore the incentive to read, write and understand English is very high.

A quick look at Ghanaian Languages in Wikimedia

Several Ghanaian languages, including Twi, Fante, Ewe, Dagbani, Ghanaian Pidgin, and Dagaare among others, have made their way onto Wikipedia, establishing a presence on the platform. However, prominent languages like Nzema and Ga remain in the Wikimedia Incubator, where they continue to develop but have not yet transitioned into fully active Wikipedias.

Despite the representation of various Ghanaian languages, many of these Wikipedia projects face significant challenges, such as inconsistent contributions, low editor retention, limited content quality, and the need for more resources and community engagement to ensure their growth and sustainability.

The Study Outcome

Speaking with Organizers

During this study, interviews were conducted with three key organizers/contributors to Ghanaian language Wikipedia projects, providing insight into the challenges, successes, and recommendations for working on local-language Wikipedias.

These organizers contribute to the following Ghanaian Language Wikipedias (Akan Wikipedia), (Ga Wikipedia), and (Ewe Wikipedia), each with years of experience in the Wikimedia movement, though their involvement in language projects is relatively recent.

None of the resource persons have worked on a language project that is second to their native tongue.

This informs the opinion that contributors are more likely to work on a language project that is native to them rather than one learned in school or picked up whilst growing in a particular community.

All three resource persons share similar reasons for them starting to contribute to language projects only recently on a few pointers outlined below:

A recent awareness due to local language advocacy to promote the reading and preservation of local languages.
A low number of native language speakers within the Wikipedia movement contribute to language projects.
Fewer funds were available to contract language experts in the country to assist in local language translation.

According to the resource persons, the Ghanaian language Wikipedias remain underdeveloped. The dominance of English in Ghana's education and professional sectors limits the growth and readership of local language platforms. Additionally, the challenge of sustaining interest among contributors makes it difficult to expand and maintain these projects.

Research Questions

For Community Organisers and Program Leaders
For Wikimedia staff engaged in language projects
- Why does Wikimedia invest in language wikis especially for African languages? (Ask WMF)

For Users of Wikipedia

Bio:

First name
Which Ghanaian languages do you speak besides English?
Which Ghanaian languages are you able to read in?
Which Ghanaian languages are you able to write in?
Have you edited Wikipedia before? (To enable us detect any biases in responses)

Speaking with Content Users

We conducted a survey to assess the relevance and usage of Twi Wikipedia among users. The survey included questions about their language abilities, familiarity with Twi Wikipedia, and their perceptions of local language Wikipedias.

Here’s a summary of the findings:

General Usage of Wikipedia: 93% of respondents use Wikipedia for research and information gathering. While all participants are familiar with Wikipedia, their engagement with local language Wikipedias varies.

Language Proficiency: 78% of respondents can speak, 71% can read, and 71% can write Twi. 35% have used Twi in searches and 21% have set it as a default language on certain apps.

Awareness and Use of Twi Wikipedia: Awareness of Twi Wikipedia is generally low. Despite respondents' high proficiency in Twi, 86% have not used the Twi Wikipedia or are unaware of its existence. This lack of use is attributed to various factors, including difficulty in accessing content and the general preference for English.

Importance of Local Language Wikipedias: Respondents unanimously agree on the importance of having local language Wikipedias for cultural and language preservation. They see value in having Wikipedia content in their native languages to support education and research.

Barriers to Use: The primary barriers include a lack of content in local languages, difficulty in accessing and interpreting available content, and limited awareness of the existence of local language Wikipedias. Technical challenges, such as the absence of local language keyboards, also hinder usage.

General Platform Use Questions

Do you use Wikipedia?
Are you able to speak Twi?
Are you able to read Twi?
Are you able to write Twi?
Have you ever conducted a search on the internet using Twi?
Do you have any app where you have set Twi as the default user language?
How do you use Wikipedia? (e.g. for finding information)
Which languages would you want to access Wikipedia in?
Are you aware of the Twi Wikipedia?
Have you ever used the Twi Wikipedia?
How frequently do you do this?
In your opinion, how important is it to have a Ghanaian language Wikipedia? (eg; Twi, Ga, Fante)
What would you say impedes/prevents you from using local language Wikipedias

Findings and Conclusion

Wikimedia Ghana User Group as the geographic affiliate of Ghana since 2012 has had an interest in the development of Local language Wikis but has dealt with the challenge of motivation for creating content people rarely use and we sought to research or study which other uses our language wikis can be used and making a business case for receiving grant to invest in these wikis.

Following our research we have now agreed that local language wikis even if they are not used can serve as documentation or archiving of language and culture. They can also be improved for the purpose of machine use. We can also create content that aligns with Ghana’s local Wikipedia language policies, which encourage and incentivize the use of Ghanaian languages. Wikipedia in local languages will be positioned to serve the Ghanaian audience when the opportunity arrives and hence its important.

There are two ways we are looking at improving the state:

Content improvement: Wikimedia Ghana recognised that Nzema and Ga prominent languages remain in Incubator and does not have a live Wikipedia yet. The other languages wikipedia like Ewe, Twi, fante and Ghanaian pidgin, requires more work to be done.

Improved community building and collaboration: The creation of Wikimedia wiki projects in various Ghanaian Languages and building of communities around the same seems to be more unified with the northern languages than the south.

Wikimedia Ghana sees it as its responsibility to create and promote Ghanaian language wikis. However, if communities for these wikis exist already, there will be no need to reinvent the wheel, or undermine their leaders.

Rather, we have to monitor their work and where there are challenges or threats to the overall good of Ghanaian language wikis, we will step in with support or other actions.

Questions for Wikimedia Ghana User Group? Get in touch via community@wmgh.org

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