Wikimedia MKD/Reports/2025-04

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2025

April

Memorandum for collaboration with Museum of Macedonia

Wikimedia MKD is constantly expanding its network of partnerships and collaborations. The organization aims to establish contact and establish cooperation with a large number of institutions and organizational units that have the will and potential to help create free content and make access to information free for the entire Macedonian reading and educational-scientific public.

The latest formalized cooperation comes with the Museum of Macedonia. On 02.04.2025, Wikimedia MKD and the Museum of Macedonia signed a Memorandum for collaboration. This memorandum confirms the efforts of the two organizations to cooperate together, and more specifically the Museum of Macedonia with its potential to help Wikimedia MKD in achieving its set goals - free access to free content and knowledge. Through cultural, scientific, historical, museum and socio-political materials, the Museum of Macedonia will provide significant assistance and support for achieving the goals of the organization.

The Director of the Museum of Macedonia, Mr. Borce Topukovski, and the Executive Director of Wikimedia MKD, Ms. Snezana Štrkovska, signed this important document for Wikimedia MKD at the premises of the Museum of Macedonia, which significantly increases the potential for Wikimedia MKD's activities.

With this cooperation, Wikimedia MKD and the Museum of Macedonia establish a new level of partnership that will contribute to enriching the free encyclopedia and its related projects with quality and verified content. This step is just one of many that Wikimedia MKD is taking in the direction of opening up knowledge to all, thereby strengthening the cultural and educational capacities in Macedonia.

Ceremony of giving certificates and awarding the winners of the edit-a-thon "Meet Slovenia"

On April 15, 2025, starting at 12:00, at the premises of Wikimedia MKD at the Youth Cultural Center (MCC) in Skopje, the official awarding of awards and certificates for the five most successful participants in the editorial competition "Meet Slovenia" was held. This competition aimed to encourage the creation and enrichment of content about Slovenia — its history, culture, geography, landmarks, famous people and other topics related to Slovenian society. Through the competition, volunteer editors created new and high-quality articles, thus contributing to the free and accessible knowledge in the Macedonian language.

The event was attended by the award winners, representatives from Wikimedia MKD, representatives from the Slovenian Center-Skopje and representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia. First, Bosa Filipović, Education Program Manager at Wikimedia MKD, addressed the audience, followed by the Executive Director of Wikimedia MKD, Snezana Štrkovska, who highlighted the important role of this type of editing competition, followed by Sašo Stojkovski from the Slovenian Center-Skopje. Among those present were the Consul of the Republic of Slovenia in Macedonia, Mr. Martin Glažar, as well as Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Skopje, Mr. Gregor Presker, who presented the awards and certificates to the five most successful editors and in his address emphasized the importance of digital literacy, free access to information and the joint building of bridges between cultures through cooperation and knowledge. He also expressed gratitude for the efforts of the editing community and the support of Wikimedia MKD.

With this ceremonial award, another successful project aimed at spreading free knowledge, building connections between peoples, and promoting cultural exchange officially ended.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

The Slovenian Ambassador with 1st award winner
The participants at the ceremony
Saso Stojanovski from Slovenian Center in Skopje giving a speech
The Slovenian Ambassador giving a speech
The participants at the ceremony
Snezana Strkovska giving a speech

Crafts workshops in Veles

This year, “Crafts and Folk Costumes” is the central theme of the GLAM programme of Wikimedia МKD. Besides decrease the content gap, the programme aims to document, textually and visually, the crafts and traditions that are in danger of being forgotten.

On April 15, 2025, Wiki Club Veles, under the mentorship of Professor Lili Arsova, organized an educational workshop at the “Kovač Goce” blacksmith shop, located in the Prevalec neighborhood in Veles. The Wikipedians had the opportunity to meet Goce Grujov – the last active blacksmith in Veles, who inherited the craft from his father Aco Grujov, the initiator of this family tradition in 1970. During the workshop, the young Wikipedians got a closer look at the techniques of forging, the types of tools used – from nails and different types of hammers to tools specially made for shaping metal. Grujov demonstrated the entire process – from heating to shaping, which the participants enjoyed.

The next day, on April 16, the second workshop was held, this time in Vane’s pottery workshop in the Kojnik neighborhood of Veles. There, the students had the opportunity to follow the entire process of making pottery products – from processing the clay, shaping it on a pottery wheel, to the final firing in a kiln that reaches temperatures of up to 900°C. Every tool, every movement and every detail was explained with enthusiasm. At the end of this adventure, the potter Vane presented the students with a unique, handmade product – a symbolic gift that will remind them of the experience and knowledge they have gained.

With these activities, Wikimedia MKD not only strengthens the skills of young Wikipedians and stimulates their interest in cultural heritage, but also actively contributes to its preservation through free and accessible content on Wikipedia. The documentation and promotion of the crafts represent an investment in the collective memory of a society.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

Visiting the pottery shop
Visiting the pottery shop
Visiting the blacksmith shop
Visiting the blacksmith shop
Visting the blacksmith shop

Photo exhibition "In touch with Macedonia-10 years of wikiexpiditions"

On April 26, at the premises of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje, starting at 18:00, an anniversary event was held to mark 10 years since the implementation of the "Wikiexpeditions" project. The event was organized by the members of Wikimedia MKD. The event attracted numerous visitors - lovers of photography, history, culture and lovers of Macedonian rural heritage, who had the opportunity to get acquainted with a different and authentic image of our country. Thanks to this project, many settlements and their natural and cultural treasures, which still remain insufficiently known to the general public, are today visible and accessible to every Wikipedia user.

Over the past ten years, the project has explored 46 different areas across Macedonia, visiting a total of 1,083 villages, representing almost 62% of all villages in the country. Over 18,500 photographs have been taken, documenting the picturesque nature, rich cultural heritage and authentic rural life. These materials have resulted in the creation and improvement of more than 3,200 articles on Wikipedia in the Macedonian language, which represents a significant contribution to the digitization and preservation of Macedonian culture.

The exhibition featured 100 carefully selected photographs, reflecting the team’s spirit of exploration, love for their homeland and the desire to preserve everything that makes Macedonia unique. Visitors had the opportunity to see impressive landscapes, authentic architecture, churches and monasteries, cultural monuments, as well as moments from everyday life in rural communities. In addition, maps of Macedonia with the locations of documented places and landmarks, photographs of participants during the expeditions, some of the equipment used to create the photographs, notebooks with information collected from the research, as well as branded products were also on display.

The event was also enriched with official addresses by the members of the project team: Toni Ristovski, Kiril Simeonovski, Nino Bogdanovski, Dean Lazarevski, as well as the youngest member of the team, Nikola Trajkovski. They spoke to the audience about the motivation behind the project, the challenges of the field research, as well as the importance of the mission to preserve and promote the rich Macedonian cultural and natural heritage. Their inspiring words further emphasized the value of the effort and the importance of volunteering in preserving the identity and history of Macedonia.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

Visitors at the photo exhibition
Visitors at the photo exhibition
Visitors at the photo exhibition
Visitors at the photo exhibition
Some of the photos
The crew behind the project

Editing Days

Editing days is an activity that lasts for the whole year in organization of Wikimedia MKD. Each Tuesday and Thursday different topics are given and the participants create or improve existing articles. In April 2025 there were in total 9 editing days, where participants edited on different topics in order to enrich the content of Wikipedia. The editing days and the topics were:

1.4.2025 - British fashion
3.4.2025 - Clock towers
8.4.2025 - International Roma Day Edit-a-thon
10.4.2025- Mirrors in art
15.4.2025 - Survival skills
17.4.2025 - Pain
22.4.2025 - Neo-romanticism
24.4.2025 - Lightning
29.4.2025 - Cannibalism

Cumulatively, 11 different users took part in these calls and edited. In total, 40 new articles were created during the editing days in April 2025.

Editing Weekends

Editing weekends is another project that is organized during the whole year. During weekends (Saturday and Sunday) user are welcomed to take part in this project activity and improve or enrich Macedonian Wikipedia content. During these weekends, the participants are expected to edit articles on given topics. In April 2025 the following editing weekends were organized:

5-6 April 2025 - Madagascar
12-13 April 2025 - Teaching
19-20 April 2025 - Computer output devices
26-27 April 2025 - Jazz

In total, during these weekends there were 4 different users editing on the given topics and they created 12 new articles on the Macedonian Wikipedia.

In media

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