Yoruba Wikimedians User Group 2022-2023 annual activities
This page is designed to document the activities of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group for the year 2022 - 2023. This document activities from the 1st of July 2022 to 30th of June 2022..
July 2022
Celtic Knot Conference 2022
On July 1 and 2, 2022, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group organized two in-person events as part of the Celtic Knot Conference 2022. Our activities during the events included but were not limited to the following: Meetups of a local community, social events, a watch party of the online program or video pool, workshops and introductions to the Yoruba Wikipedia, an editathon to create new articles and improve existing ones, and a discussion on how to improve the Yoruba Wikipedia community, among other topics, are among the other topics. A total of 40 people attended the events and were introduced to the Yoruba Wikipedia. The event was held at the La Regia Airport Hotel in Alaguntan, Alimosho, Lagos State.
Our media partner was Zivang Magazine, an online magazine based in Nigeria. The remote event was funded by Wikimedia UK. Our advisor, Isaac Olatunde, also received an invitation from Wikimedia UK to facilitate one of the sessions on "How to grow your Wikipedia community."
Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project
On July 1, 2022, the Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project was launched. The Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project (also known as DYCP) is a collaborative project between the Deoband Community Wikimedia and the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group. The project aims to include content related to global Deobandi scholarship on the Yoruba language Wikipedia and "Yoruba-related" content on the Urdu Wikipedia. The project received formal approval on June 25, 2022, during an interactive session in which Aafi and our advisor, Olatunde Isaac, took part.
Other objectives of the collaboration include, but are not limited to:
- to increase content on small language Wikipedias such as Urdu and the Yoruba Wikipedia.
- To promote international collaborations among Wikimedia affiliates
- Increase the quality of existing articles on small-language Wikipedias.
- to engage existing volunteers
- To promote Wikimedia projects in Nigeria and India
- to support the creation, development, growth, and free distribution of Yoruba and Deoband-related educational materials.
The collaboration was covered in the media by The Chenab Times on June 26, 2022.
The July 2022 Drive of the Deoband Yoruba Collaborative Project seeks the addition of twenty thematic articles related to the Deoband Community Wikimedia on the Yoruba language Wikipedia, as well as the addition of twenty articles related to Yoruba on the Urdu language Wikipedia. Participants in this drive will be given an e-certificate for their contributions.
- List of articles translated
Wiki Loves Earth 2022 in South West of Nigeria
The first edition of Wiki Loves Earth 2022 in South West Nigeria was organized by us. The contest focuses on photographing objects in the southwest of Nigeria, otherwise known as the Yoruba states. We created awareness about the contest in the south-west of Nigeria to encourage photographers and photo enthusiasts to take photos of national parks, protected areas, or marine parks and upload them to Wikimedia Commons under a free license for use on Wikipedia and for other educational purposes outside of Wikipedia. The contest ran from July 15 to August 30, 2022.
A total of 431 images were contributed 431 images were contributed. A total of 76 people, including professional photographers, participated. At the end of the contest, the jury was set up to review the submission, and the top three images were recommended by the jury for prizes.
Prizes awarded include the following:
- First Place: An Android phone
- 2nd Prize: Photography Equipment
- 3rd prize: photography equipment
Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos 2022
On July 1, 2022, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group launched the local contest for the international Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos campaign. This is to promote this use of photos on Yoruba Wikipedia articles lacking photos. There was an edit-a-thon for the contest on July 29, 2022.
Thousands of images have been donated and contributed to Wikimedia Commons via various advocacy programs, photowalks, and contests, including international photography contests such as Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth, Wiki Loves Folklore, etc. Yet relatively few of these photos have been used on Wikipedia articles.
A series of trainings on Zoom were organized for new and existing editors on how to add images to Wikipedia articles. This project is important for our community because many members do not understand how photos are added to Wikipedia articles.At the end of the contest, images were added for a total of 3,196 and a total of 21 members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group participated in the contest.
Random discussion with some of the participants shows that they found the contest interesting and impactful. User:Aderiqueza, User:Sowoletoyin, User:TheAnuoluwa, and User:Enitade taking the lead. This may be the most contributions ever made by a Wikimedia user group.
Mr. Macaroni skit for Yoruba Wikipedia
On the 4th of July 2022, our team met with Mr. Macaroni's Entertainment team for a second meeting to discuss the production of a comic skit to promote the Yoruba Wikipedia. The shooting arrangement, releasing schedule, and other agreements were finalized, and a draft of the script was sent to us on a comic skit to promote the Yoruba Wikipedia. The shooting arrangement, releasing schedule, and other agreements were finalized, and a draft of the script was sent to us on July 15, 2022, for review and correction. On July 17, 2022, the final version of the script was returned to Mr. Macaroni's team.The filming took place on July 20, 2022.On July 28, 2022, we received the final version of the video. It was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons on July 30, 2022. Mr. Macaroni planned to post it on all social media platforms on August 1, 2022.
Mr. Macaroni is a multi-award-winning Nigerian comedian and actor with millions of followers on social media.This effort is part of our awareness strategy and campaign to promote the Yoruba language on Wikipedia. See Mr Macaroni Skit for Yoruba Wikipedia and Yoruba Wikipedia Awareness Campaign for additional information.
- Communication plan
We designed a simple communication plan to manage all communications related to this project. This strategy was devised on July 2, 2022.
| Communication type | Objectives of communication | Medium | Frequency | Audience | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production meeting |
|
In-person | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
| Post-production meeting |
|
Online | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
| Video Licensing |
|
In-person | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
- Work plan and timeline
| Work plan & timeline | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month(s) | Location(s) | Activities | Resulting deliverables | Remarks | |||
| 4th July 2022 - 15th July 2022 | Lagos | Production meetings, script writing, shoot days scheduling | Every arrangement will have been finalized |  Done
| |||
| 20th – 28th July 2022 | Lagos | Video production (shooting) & post-production (editing, color correction, sound mixing, subtitling; etc.) | One quality video produced (2–5 mins). | Done
| |||
| 30th July 2022 | Lagos | Uploads to Commons | The video is uploaded to Commons | Done
| |||
| 11th August 2022 | Lagos | Video promotion on social media and among community members | Video promoted | Done
| |||
- Social media insights
Registration as a nonprofit organization
On March 4, 2022, we began the processes for registering as a nonprofit organization in Nigeria. On July 15, 2022, we attained the status and received our certificate of registration as a nonprofit organization from the Nigerian Government's Corporate Affairs Commission.
| Name of Organization | Yoruba Wikimedians Association |
|---|---|
| Mailing Address & Visitor Address | 3, Oyo Street, Mowo, Badagry, Lagos State |
| Telephone | +2348062222027, +2348060098450 |
| wikimedia-yo@lists.wikimedia.org | |
| Goals of organization | Promote free access to knowledge in Yoruba language via Wikimedia projects such as Yoruba Wikipedia |
| Board Composition | Trustees |
| Human resource policy | Non-discriminating policy |
| Name of Managers | Mikaeel Sodiq Adesina, Dansu Peter, Babatunde Asaolu |
| Annual Report | In progress |
| Registration Number | RC 184440 |
Social media reports
Our most active social media account is on Twitter. In July 2022, we made a total of 20 tweets on a wide range of topics.
On July 1, 2022, we tweeted about the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group remote event for the Celtic Knot Conference 2022. Our tweet received a total of 245 impressions, 9 total engagements, a 3.7% engagement rate, 9 media engagements, 2 likes, 2 profile clicks, and 1 retweet.
On July 2, 2022, we tweeted about the experience of members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group who participated in the Celtic Knot Conference 2022. Our tweet received a total of 819 impressions, 145 total engagements, a 17.7% engagement rate, 65 media engagements, 29 likes, 23 detail expands, 14 profile clicks, 12 retweets, and 2 replies. . Our tweet regarding the Ew t Yoruba Wikimedians User Group e fn Celtic Knot Conference 2022 received 99 impressions, 34 media views, 29 total engagement, and 18 media engagements.18 likes, 6 retweets, 2 detail expands, and 2 profile clicks
On July 5, 2022, we tweeted about a training organized by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group on how to add images to Wikipedia articles. Our tweet received a total of 79 impressions, 1 total engagement, 1.3%, and 1 like.
On July 6, 2022, we tweeted about the training on how to participate in Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos 2022. Our tweet received a total of 451 impressions, 40 total engagements, an 8.9% engagement rate, 16 media engagements, 14 likes, 8 retweets, 1 profile click, and 1 reply.
On July 7, 2022, we tweeted about the ongoing Wikipedia page "Wanting Photos 2022." Our tweet received a total of 943 impressions, 98 total engagements, a 10.5% engagement rate, 11 media engagements, 14 likes, 25 retweets, 25 detail expands, 11 profile clicks, and 1 link click.
On July 22, 2022, we tweeted about our work documenting the indigenous works of the Yoruba people. Our tweet received a total of 356 impressions, 86 media views, 103 total engagements, a 28.9% engagement rate, 45 media engagements, 21 likes, 18 detail expands, 8 profile clicks, 10 retweets, and 1 hashtag.
The complete summary of the report is in the attached document.
August 2022
Audiovisuals of Yoruba Indigenous Vocations
The Audiovisuals of Yoruba Indigenous Vocations is a project designed and implemented by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group in August 2022 to document and preserve the knowledge of Yoruba indigenous vocations that are likely to go into extinction. The primary goals of this project include but are not limited to the following:
- To document and preserve Yoruba indigenous vocations' knowledge.
- Provide audiovisuals of Yoruba Indigenous vocations under a free license for use on Wikipedia.
- Use a free license to create audiovisuals of Yoruba Indigenous vocations for educational purposes.
- Encourage the use of indigenous knowledge.
- Promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in knowledge sharing.
- Fill gaps in Wikimedia projects' content.
The project began in July 2022, but the shooting was done from the 12th of July to the 20th of August. Members of the project team traveled to villages in the southwest of Nigeria to record these audiovisuals. The videos were largely short at Iseyin, Oyo State, Nigeria, and a total of 20 audiovisuals were recorded. Tunde Oladimeji, a notable Nigerian documentary filmmaker, actor, director, and television presenter known for pioneering documentary film in indigenous languages in Nigeria, was commissioned and supported by the audiovisual production team at Yoruba Wikimedians User Group. Tunde Oladimeji was commissioned because he has worked on similar projects for the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria. The recordings were done in Yoruba but with English subtitles.The recordings were not scripted, but rather elicited through structured conversations in which the speakers were encouraged to use different grammatical tenses in their language and share culturally relevant knowledge of indigenous vocations.
Work plan and timeline
| Work plan & timeline | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month(s) | Location(s) | Activities | Resulting deliverables | Remarks | |||
| 1st July 2022 - 10th July 2022 | Lagos | Production meetings, elucidation protocol design, shoot days scheduling | Every arrangement will have been finalized | Done
| |||
| 12th – 20th August 2022 | Lagos | Video production (shooting) & post-production (editing, color correction, sound mixing, subtitling; etc.) | 20 quality video produced (2–5 mins). | Done
| |||
| 25th September 2022 | Lagos | Uploads to Commons | The video is uploaded to Commons | Done
| |||
| 28th September 2022 | Lagos | Audiovisuals promotion on social media and among community members | Video promoted | Done
| |||
Communication plan
We have designed a simple communication plan to manage all communications relating to this project.
| Communication type | Objectives of communication | Medium | Frequency | Audience | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production meeting |
|
In-person | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
| Post-production meeting |
|
Online | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
| Video Licensing |
|
In-person | one-off |
|
Project manager (Mikaeel Sodiq) |
Deliverables
| Deliverables | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File type | No. of files | Format | Duration | Approximate size on GB or TB | |||
| Video | 20 | WebM or .ogg | 2 – 5 mins | 15 - 20 MB | |||
- Selected videos
Yoruba Wikipedia Destubbation Challenge
In August 2022, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group launched the Yoruba Wikipedia Destubbation Challenge to destub 1000 articles in one year. The challenge aims at improving existing Wikipedia articles to a reasonable length of content. This is to promote the quality of contents on Yoruba Wikipedia and ensure that all the bot-created articles are improved with the primary aim of improving the readers' experience. A list of stub categories was suggested, and members of our community were directed to destub articles from the suggested list. Volunteers checked the recent changes log for deleted articles. A total of 18 users participated, and 67 stub articles were destubbed. Prizes would be awarded to the users who destubbed the most articles.
The Youruba Wikimedians User Group authorized NGN 50,000 in prize money in the form of a Shoprite gift card.The categories of prizes awarded are listed below.
- Most articles destubbed for Nigeria
- Most articles destubbed for Women
- Most articles destubbed for States in South West Nigeria
- Most articles destubbed for Sports
- Most articles destubbed for planets
Wikimania 2022
Between August 11 and August 13, 2022, we collaborated with the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria and Igbo Wikimedians User Group to host a remote event for Wikimania 2022. It was organized to create, celebrate, and connect, both virtually and with in-person components. It was a 4-day event held at the Ibis International Hotel in Lagos. The participants were selected based on a set of predetermined criteria for each user group. Participants connected with the global event, and there were individual and group presentations. Our advocacy on promoting Yoruba Wikipedia was shared, and the Mr. Macaroni Skit for Yoruba Wikipedia videos were premiered at the event. These workshops, trainings, and discussions revolve around promoting the Nigerian language on Wikipedia. On the final day of the event, there were social activities, and we connected to the global event from there. A member of the Nigerian community, Dr. Osugwe Ikem, was recognized as a newcomer of the year by Jimmy Wales. We participated in the announcement session. It was a great opportunity for us to collaborate with sister groups.
Social media report
In August 2022, we made a total of 18 tweets.The tweets received a total of 10.1K impressions, 187 mentions, 144 new followers, and our profile was visited 6,240 times. Our top tweet was about the 2 million views that the Yoruba Wikipedia had in July 2022. Our top follower was @Wikiwomeninred. Our top media tweet was about the Yoruba Indigenous Vocation Audiovisuals. Our top mention was by @MrMacaroni. On average, we earned 325 impressions per day.
September 2022
Outreach plan for Yoruba Indigenous Vocations Audiovisual Recordings
In September, we designed an outreach plan on how to promote accessibility to the Yoruba Vocations audiovisual recording. During the Wikimedia Summit in Berlin, Franziska Heine, the Executive Director of Wikimedia Deutschland, suggested that we should explore a strategy to promote access to the materials that have been created.
It was suggested that the Wikimedians User Group donate the materials to academic institutions, libraries, and national archives. This month we bought 50 flash drives, customized them, and copied the videos onto the devices for distribution to academic institutions, national libraries, and archives.
We have drafted a proposal to be submitted to the African Magic Yoruba, DSTV, to request support to air the material through cable TV. A similar proposal was drafted to be submitted to national television as well.
Online trainings for new editors
Two online training sessions were conducted for new editors, some of whom were viewers of the Mr. Macaroni Skits for Yoruba Wikipedia projects. In both pieces of training, there was a low turnout of participants. We had planned to have another training in October, and the training would be facilitated by a female experienced member of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group.
Wiki Loves Monuments 2022 in Nigeria
On the 1st of September 2022, we launched the Commons:Wiki Loves Monuments 2022 in Nigeria in collaboration with the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria.
We originally wanted to organize this campaign in the south-west of Nigeria, but we were informed by the Wiki Loves International Team that this is technically impossible. It was recommended that we collaborate with the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria to organize a national contest in Nigeria.
We had a series of meetings with the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria in August 2022 to finalize the design and model. It was successfully implemented on August 1, 2022. A total of 684 images were uploaded, and more than 20 people participated in the contest.
The proposed prizes are listed below:
- 1st: A photography gadget voucher worth NGN 100,000
- 2nd: A photography gadget voucher worth NGN70,000
- 3rd: A photography gadget voucher worth NGN50,000
Invitation as a special guest at Radio Lagos and Traffic Radio
On September 11, 2022, we received an invitation to be guests on "Ojutaye," a show on Radio Lagos. It was a special invitation for us to share our experiences working on open knowledge, our work on Yoruba Wikipedia, and its impact on knowledge equity.
The event was attended by the President of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, Mikaeel Sodiq, and our interim program office manager, Omolade Abidemi. Studio phone lines were open to allow calls in from the audience, and it was interesting to learn that people are now familiar with Yoruba Wikipedia, as many of the people who called in confirmed that they have read one or more contents on Yoruba Wikipedia and that they are happy that such a language version of Wikipedia exists.
On September 7, 2022, we were invited to Traffic FM to talk about the accessibility of Yoruba contents on the internet, a case study of "Yoruba Wikipedia." It was a thrilling moment for us to hear about your work digitizing Yoruba indigenous vocations and how the public can access the contents.
Wikimedia Summit 2022
The Wikimedia Summit 2022 took place on September 9-11 , 2022, as a hybrid event with both on-site (Berlin) and remote participation. Wikimedia Deutschland hosted the event in close collaboration and with the financial support of the Wikimedia Foundation.
The Wikimedia Summit is the place for Affiliates and the Wikimedia Foundation to come together to discuss and shape the future of the Wikimedia Movement. The 2022 event was designed around the implementation of the 2030 Movement Strategy, as well as intended to serve as a platform to advance the governance reform of the Wikimedia Movement (aligned with the ongoing drafting process of the Movement Charter). It also a place to connect better the global, regional, and local implementation of Movement Strategy programmatic initiatives.
This year, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group was represented in person at the summit in Berlin. We were represented by Olatunde Isaac, a Yoruba Wikipedia administrator and valuable member of the Yoruba Wikipedia community. He shared how our work is aligning with the movement strategy and our implementation plan. On his return, he organized a debriefing for members of our community and shared the learning from the community with members of our community.
October 2022
Wiki Loves Democracy Edit-a-thon
October 1, 2022, marks Nigeria's proclamation of independence from British rule on October 1, 1960. The Yoruba Wikimedians User Group organized an edit-a-thon in Lagos to commemorate Nigeria's independence. The edit-a-thon focused on creating new pieces of Nigeria-related content and improving existing articles on Yoruba Wikipedia. The event was held at the La Regial Airport Hotel, and a total of 19 members of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group attended the event and contributed to the Yoruba Wikipedia.
The event was attended by Tunde Oladimeji, a renowned documentary filmmaker, Yoruba film actor, producer, and director. Participants were ecstatic to finally meet him after only seeing him on television.He encouraged members of the Yoruba Wikipedia community to protect the credibility, quality, and integrity of the Yoruba Wikipedia by contributing quality content to the encyclopedia. During the edit-a-thon, a total of 32 articles were created or improved by the participants, and at least one new editor joined us.
International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture and Yoruba Wikimedians User Group Collaboration
On October 15, 2022, the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture and the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group launched a collaboration to promote free access to knowledge in the Yoruba language via Wikipedia and its sister projects, such as Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata. The collaboration was officially launched on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at the headquarters of the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture at the University of Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria.The International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture, also known as the "Yoruba World Centre," is a nonprofit organization with the aim to promote, preserve, and transmit the Yoruba language to its users and serve as a go-to place for rich content and materials relating to the Yoruba language, people, history, culture, and heritage.
The International Center for Yoruba Arts and Culture was inaugurated by Professor Yemi Osinbajo and the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, on Tuesday, 23rd November 2021 at the University of Ibadan.
The core objective of the collaboration includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Promote digital content inclusion on Yoruba Wikipedia with verifiable and reliable sources and make the contents available in a manner that will be acceptable to all Yoruba language users, readers, writers, and enthusiasts within Nigeria and in the diaspora.
- Use the resources of the International Center for Art and Culture to improve the quality and credibility of the content on Yoruba Wikipedia.
- To promote the International Centre for Yoruba Art and Culture in the global community
- To promote a strong relationship between the International Centre for Yoruba Art and Culture and the Wikimedia community
- To promote the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture among academics, researchers, and students
- To promote Yoruba Wikipedia among partners and affiliates of the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture
- Train members of the staff of the center, their partners, and affiliates on how to use and contribute to the Yoruba Wikipedia.
- Tunde Kelani, Alao Adedayo, the publisher of Alaroye, a prominent Yoruba newspaper, and Professor Akin Alao, a Professor of History at Obafemi Awolowo University and a member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, were among those who attended the event.Others include Baale Yemi Ogunyemi, the Baale of Oluyole, and a member of the Ibadan South West Local Government Traditional Council.
The welcome address was delivered by Baba Adedayo Alao, and the keynote address was delivered by Professor Akin Alao, who is also a member of the organization's Board of Trustees. The event was attended by a total of 35 people, and at least two news media outlets covered the event. Tunde Kelani described the collaboration as timely and important for the growth and development of the center and the Yoruba Wikipedia.
There were talks about the collaboration by Adedayo Alao, Tunde Kelani, Professor Akin Alao, Isaac Olatunde, and Mikaeel Sodiq, and there were comments from the participants as well. Akara was offered by the International Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture as refreshments, and Iyan was offered as lunch by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group.
- Media attention
This collaboration has gained significant media attention in Nigeria. See the list of media houses that have covered this collaboration.
- Print Media
- Wikipedia Partners Yoruba World Centre to Preserve History published by Thisday newspaper on the 19th of October 2022.
- Wikipedia partners Yoruba to promote, preserve, protect history, others published by The Guardian on the 19th of October 2022.
- Centre partners Wikipedia on Yoruba history published by The Punch on the 21st of October 2022.
- Online newspapers
- Wikipedia partners Yoruba World Centre published by The Eagle Online Newspaper on the 19th of October 2022.
- Wikipedia partners Yoruba World Centre published by The Eagle Online Newspaper on the 19th of October 2022.
- Wikipedia partners Yoruba World Centre to preserve history published by The Eagle Online Newspaper on the 19th of October 2022.
- Newsbreak: Wikipedia partners Yoruba World Centre to promote indigenous values, history published by Irohin Oodua Newspaper on the 18th of October 2022.
Wikidata 10th Anniversary
on the 29th October 2022, we organized an event to mark Wikidata 10th Anniversary. Our activities included but not limited to cake-cutting, training, and social event. Participants were trained on how to create Wikidata items, run a SPAQL, add Wikidata label in Yoruba language, and Databox. The event was held at La Regia Airport Hotel, Alaguntan, Alimosho, Lagos State.
 | ||
 |
 |
 |
- Event activities
| Time in WAT | Time in UTC | Session title | Moderator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 - 12:00 | 9:00 - 11:00 | Cake-cutting
Happy Anniversary - All participants |
Event manager - Dansu Peter |
| 12:00 - 2:30 | 11:00 - 1:30 | Training
User: T Cells |
Event manager - Dansu Peter |
| 2:30 - 3:30 | 1:30 - 2:00 | Lunch
All participants |
Event manager - Dansu Peter |
| 3:30 - 4:00 | 2:30 - 3:00 | Group photograph | Event manager - Dansu Peter |
| 4:00 - 4:30 | 3:00 - 3:30 | Vote of thanks
Mikaeel Sodiq |
Event manager - Dansu Peter |
Capacity building
On October 30, 2022, User:Àìná - TheSymbyat, an experienced female member of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, led a training on how to contribute to the Yoruba Wikipedia.A total of 60 people registered for the training, but only about 20 people participated. The participants' internet data were reimbursed. The second edition of the training was scheduled to take place on November 26, 2022, and would also be anchored by another experienced female member of the community, User:Ọmọladéabídèmí99 who has led a similar training in the past.
This is part of our effort to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our community, and the implementation of the Movement strategy recommendation on Ensure equity in decision-making.
< By sharing accountability and responsibility as well as ensuring equitable opportunities for participation in decision-making and resource> allocation.
November 2022
Public speaking and outreach
On the 11th of November 2022, our advisor Isaac Olatunde was invited by the department of linguistics, African languages, and Asian studies at the University of Lagos as a guest speaker to speak about the importance of studying language as a discipline and the economic value of studying an indigenous language. The event was part of new student welcome and orientation programs organized by the department. The event was attended by more than 100 students and academic staff members. The event provided us with an opportunity to talk about the Yoruba Wikipedia, other Wikimedia projects, and the efforts of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group in the past years.
Participants who specialize in Yoruba expressed interest in joining the Yoruba Wikimedia Community, and an attendance sheet was shared with them to collect their contact details. A follow-up training will be organized for them in January 2023.
December 2022
Yoruba Wiki Loves Christmas
The Yoruba Wiki Loves Christmas Contest was organized as part of the Christmas celebration and to promote the translation of contents relating to Christmas and Christianity on Yoruba Wikipedia. The contest lasted for one week (December 19–December 28).
A total of 19 articles were created or improved by the participants. It was a mini-contest aimed at engaging members of our community who are Christians (and some non-Chritians).
The contest was promoted on all our social media networks and WhatsApp platforms. There were fewer participants, partly because December was a busy period for most of our participants or because of the nature of the targeted contents.
A total of five volunteers joined the contest. A Yoruba Wikipedia custom T-shirt was gifted to the top participants in appreciation of their contributions to the contest.
Yoruba Wiki Radio Show
In December 2022, we began planning for the Yoruba Wiki Radio Show, which was launched as part of the "Yoruba Wikipedia Awareness Campaign" to promote the Yoruba Wikipedia using radio. This year, we began the planning for the show. Our media crew, led by the president of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, visited "Radio Lagos" (107.5 FM) on the 5th of December 2022 to submit a proposal for the radio show.
It took about a week for our proposal to be approved by the stations. We submitted a demo of our past related programs to give the station an idea of the program. On December 15, 2022, we produced the jingle for the promotion of the program and sent it to the radio station for approval and use. On December 27, 2022, we received an invoice. The program was scheduled to start on January 14, 2023.
We decided to change the radio station from Bond FM (92.9) to Radio Lagos (107.5 FM) because Radio Lagos has more listeners and is better than Bond FM.
In September 2022, we received an invitation to be guests on "Ojutaye," a show on Radio Lagos. Lots of people reached out to us after the show to learn more about our work and how they could be part of it.
Mid term survey
In December 2022, we conducted our mid-term survey to learn and evaluate our programs and to have a better understanding of what we should prioritize in the next phase of our program. The survey was shared with members of our community, and a total of 31 community members, excluding the organizers, completed the survey. We evaluated the following parameters: our members' priority goals, the impact of our activities, what should be improved, what we should prioritize in the next phase, and the challenges affecting participation or contributions.
- Priority goals
Increase the accuracy and/or quality of contents on Yoruba Wikipedia, increase contributions to the Yoruba Wikipedia, and promote Yoruba Wikipedia on social media were the top priority goals.
- 86.9% of the survey respondents indicated that their priority goal is to increase the accuracy and/or quality of the contents on Yoruba Wikipedia.
- 67.7% of the survey respondents indicated that their priority goal is to increase their contributions to the Yoruba Wikipedia.
- 54.8% of the survey respondents indicated that their priority goal is to promote Yoruba Wikipedia on social media.
- What should be improved?
Improvements on training, communication, and contest and campaign implementation recorded the highest recommendation for improvement.
- 74.2% of the survey respondents indicated that our training program should be improved.
- 41.9% of the survey respondents indicated that our campaign and contest implementation should be improved.
- 41.9% of the survey respondents indicated that our communication should be improved.
- Activities impact
The survey finding shows that our activities had an impact on contributions.
- 81.7% of the respondents indicated that our activities supported their goals.
- 83.9% of the respondents indicated that our activities help them achieve their goals.
- 83.9% of the respondents indicated that access to the internet impacted their contributions.
- 51.6% of the respondents indicated that they were proud of our partnership with the International Center for the Yoruba Arts and Culture.
- Challenges impacting contributions
The following challenges impacting contributions were identified by the survey respondents:
- Internet access and poor internet connection
- Incessant Global IP Block
- Failure to attend on-site training
- Time management in relation to work
- lack of tools such as laptops
- Volunteer assistance is required.
- 64.5% of the respondents indicated that they needed support to participate.
- 64.5% of the respondents indicated that they needed self-paced training materials or resources.
- 54.8% of respondents said they needed capacity building.
- 48.4% of the respondents indicated that they need internet support.
- 41.9% of the respondents indicated that they needed to be mentored.
- Other random comments by respondents.
- The leadership of the Yorùbá Wikimedians user group has been kind and effective ever since I joined.
- The user group has been up and doing
- I love this platform and everything about it, I'd really appreciate if I can undergo training programs in order to get more acquainted to it.
- I'm proud of Yorùbá Wikimedia's great work and also feel proud to be associated with it.
- I think one of the factors that motivated a lot of people, including me to be more productive is the sense of belonging that came from being treated with love and as a part of a big Wikipedia family. I feel promoting love among editors and making every editor feel valued would yield a wonderful result.
- I am honored to be awarded 2nd place in the wikilove Earth 2022 in South West. I appreciate Wikipedia for thier support and being a fountain of knowledge on whom I have been drinking from for information over the years. It would be a great privilege to use my creativity and skill as a Photojournalist to give my little drops to this very vast fountain of knowledge. Looking forward to greatness!
- There’re lot of key traditional festival in yoruba land I think having a team project and researchers on this festival goes a long way in telling this stories.
January 2023
Yoruba Wiki Radio Show
The Yoruba Wiki Radio Show was launched on Radio Lagos 107.5 FM on January 14, 2023. Banners were promoted on social media to inform the community and notify the general public about the program. A recorded jingle was created and promoted from January 1, 2023, to January 13, 2023, to further create awareness.
The program was anchored by Mikaeel Sodiq, the president of the Yoruba Wikimedia User Group, who is also a Yoruba language expert and radio presenter. The program would run for 8 weeks in the first phase. The first episode was broadcast on January 14, 2023, and the second episode was broadcast on January 21, 2023. The first episode focused on an introduction to Yoruba Wikipedia, and the second episode focused on the characteristics of Yoruba Wikipedia. Listeners who are interested in the comment and question sessions can call in. And for listers who may be interested in joining our community as contributors to the Yoruba Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
A WhatsApp group has now been created for listers who expressed interest in joining our community. We have also created a website for our community as part of our corporate branding and to better document our activities. The website is wikimediayo.org.
Donation of audiovisuals to academic institutions
On January 18, 2023, we will donate our audiovisuals of Yoruba Indigenous Vocations to the University of Ibadan to support teaching, research, and learning. The event was held at the Department of Linguistics and African Languages at the University of Ibadan. It was attended by the Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Professor O.A. Oyesile; the Head of the Department, Linguistics and African Languages, Professor Oye Taiwo; and the Head of the Department, History, Professor Rasheed Olaniyi. Others included Professor Phillips Ogundeji, Professor Wole Oyetade, Professor Herbert Igboanusi, Professor Duro Adeleke, and other members of the academic staff.
According to the Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Professor O.A. Oyesile, "The work is most appreciated, especially because it creates new sources of knowledge and contributes to cultural revival." The work is not only useful for academia but also useful for indigenous cultures generally. The university is open to more collaboration between the town and the gown. It is my hope that the department will utilize this opportunity very well.
Professor Phillips Ogundeji, a member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and a senior faculty member at the University of Ibadan, said, "This type of collaboration is what we really need; we are happy that this is happening during our own time."
Professor Herbert Igboanusi, a language expert, said in his remarks, "Initially, I was skeptical about the quality of works on Wikipedia and often discouraged my students from citing Wikipedia as a reference or using its contents in their works." Now, I can see that the standards have improved."
Professor Duro Adeleke described the donation as "laudable." According to him, the donated audiovisual materials would not only be useful for the Department of Linguistics and African Languages but also for the Department of History, the Department of Communication and Language Arts, and Religious Studies.
On January 20, 2023, we donated the audiovisuals to the Department of Linguistics, African, and Asian Studies, University of Lagos. Professor Nnabuihe Chigozie, the head of the department, said the donation to the department was timely as it happened at the time the faculty was discussing how to review its curriculum and promote collaboration between the town and the gown. He thanked the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria and Yoruba Wikimedians User Group delegates for the donation and noted that the department is open to collaborations.
We attended the strategic meeting of the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria as part of our efforts to design the mechanism for the donation. The meeting was attended by the president of the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group, Mikaeel Sodiq.
There was a blog post on Wikimedia Diff about the donation, and shared with the community via our various social media platforms. See a link to the blog post here.
Training for students of the University of Lagos
On the 24th and 25th of January 2023, we conducted an in-person training for Yoruba students of the Department of Linguistics, African Languages, and Asian Studies at the University of Lagos. The training was held at the department library. The training was facilitated by Mikaeel Sodiq Adesina, Dansu Peter, and Omolade Docars.
It is worth highlighting that we collected the names of all participants at least one month before the event and had them registered on the Yoruba Wikipedia ahead of the training. This is a strategy for avoiding IP blocking during training and account creation. It is also a way to engage participants ahead of training and get them familiarized with the Yoruba Wikipedia interface.
A total of 84 people attended the training, with 63 of them creating accounts on Yoruba Wikipedia. A total of five new articles were created, and 23 existing articles were improved as of January 27, 2023.
A WhatsApp group was created for the new editors for mentorship and further engagement. It was also agreed that weekly trainings and edit-a-thons should be conducted for them on a monthly basis as a way to continue to engage them.
The participants activities were tracked with the Event Metric Dashboard. See a link to the tracking tool.
Mikaeel Adesina, Dansu Peter, and Emmanuel Abiodun facilitated the training on the first day, and the other day was facilitated by Omolade Abidemi, a female member of our community and the president of the fan club. This was done as part of our strategy to strengthen the capacity of female trainers in our community.
A tweet made during the training received significant attention on Twitter, and one of the Twitter users donated the sum of NGN 10,000 to provide internet support for our volunteers and the new editors. It was the first time we received a donation from a random Twitter user or any other social media platform.
Recruit readers as writers
One of the challenges facing small language Wikipedia is low contributions by native speakers. Most of the contents on small languages Wikipedia are either written by bots or non-native speakers who sometimes use Google translator or similar machines to translate contents on these languages Wikipedia. These cause severe damage to the quality and credibility of these languages Wikipedia. Readers don't have access to basic articles in their native languages since most of the contents are poor in quality.
The recruit readers as writers (RRW) was an experiment to support small language Wikipedia. The experiment entails recruiting big-language Wikipedia readers to serve as small-language Wikipedia editors. It was first conducted between 2021 and 2022 and was successful (see previous report. This experiment was inspired by this Wikimania session in 2021.
We wanted to run the campaign again this year. We hosted a central notice banner on the English Wikipedia that is often visited from Nigeria, and a Qualtrics form was attached to the banner. Wikipedia readers from Nigeria who are native speakers of the Yoruba language were encouraged to complete the form and participate in a training on how to contribute to the Yoruba language Wikipedia. The "Central Notice" banner was only visible to visitors who were not registered on any Wikimedia project.
In less than 48 hours, about 1,000 people have registered to be trained. We plan to schedule several in-person and online trainings for these participants based on the information they provide in the form about their preferred training mode.
Did you know that Wikipedia exists in Yorùbà language? If you speak Yorùbá language and write in Yoruba language, please help us improve it. Register for free Yoruba Wikipedia training using this form!
Our form collected some data that provided insights into the popularity of the Yoruba Wikipedia. According to the data collected, 62.71% of the respondents do not know that Wikipedia exists in Yoruba, 29.90% are aware that Wikipedia exists in Yoruba, and 7.40% are unsure whether it exists or not.
On the other hand, 92.1% of the respondents indicated that they would like to contribute to the improvement of the Yoruba Wikipedia. This data shows that Yoruba Wikipedia is gradually becoming popular among the readers of the English Wikipedia, and most of the readers who speak and write in Yoruba could be potential contributors to the Yoruba Wikipedia.
On January 28 and 29, 2022, we emailed all the people who had expressed interest in joining the training with all the necessary information to enable them to effectively participate in the training. The information provided included a link to instructions on how to create an account on the Yoruba Wikipedia. As of January 30, 2023, more than 50 participants had created their accounts in advance for the training. This is to avoid unnecessary IP blocking that might turn them off. see a link to the event metrics dashboard.
Trainings have been scheduled for respondents who expressed interest in becoming contributors to the Yoruba Wikipedia. Online training sessions would be conducted for participants from Monday, January 30, 2023, to Thursday, February 3, 2023, and in-person training would be conducted on Friday, February 4 and 5, 2023. The offline event would take place at the La Regial Airport Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.
February 2023
Recruit readers as writers marathon training
On January 28th, 2023, a series of trainings were scheduled for respondents who expressed interest in becoming contributors to the Yoruba Wikipedia. Four online training sessions were conducted for participants from Monday, January 30, 2023, to Thursday, February 3, 2023, and in-person training was conducted on Friday, February 4 and 5, 2023.
The offline took place at the La Regial Airport Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria. On average, 22 participants participate in the online events, and 15 participants participate in the offline events. On the first day of the online event, about 35 people joined the call, and at least 31 of the participants were brand new editors.
After the training, the participants were onboarded to a WhatsApp group created to support their mentorship. Some of the participants made their first edits and even created new articles after the training.
The participants were excited to participate in the training. Although more than 70% of the recurited editors have not been trained, some of them have contacted us to say that our previous email was not received because it dropped into their spam folder. We are planning to organize trainings for those who have informed us about this challenge, and we plan to send a follow-up email to participants that have not responded to our email as well as send them an SMS via the phone numbers they provided during registration.
Many of the participants have joined our social media platforms and have been engaging our posts including sharing them with their friends who may be intersted in contributing to the Yoruba Wikipedia.
One of the female participants saidI never knew that I would be able to edit Wikipedia. I have always thought that Wikipedia and its language versions are written by Americans and Europeans. I was excited when the banner popped up saying that I should register for a training on how to contribute to Wikipedia. Today, I am here, and I am so happy.
A certificate of participation would be issued to outstanding participants at the end of the project this year.
Core team
- User:Agbalagba (Lead coordinator, campaign implementation team)
- User:Ọmọladéabídèmí99 (facilitator)
- User:Macdanpets (facilitator)
- User:T Cells (Campaign architect and design)
Wiki Loves Folklore 2023
On the February 1, 2023, we launched the Wiki Loves Folklores 2023 in Nigeria. This is the second time we are organizing the national campaign in Nigeria. In 2022, a total of 785 images were uploaded, we hope to surpass this metric this year. Wiki Loves Folklore (Meta-Wiki: Wiki Loves Folklore) is an international photographic contest organized annually at Wikimedia Commons to document folk cultures in different regions of the world. Wiki Loves Folklore 2023 is a continuation of Wiki Loves Folklore 2021 with the theme of folk culture.
This year, the following prizes will be awarded to winners in addition to the international prizes.
- National prizes
- 1st prize: Android Phone
- 2nd prize: Video Camera Light
- 3rd prize: DSLR Camera Backpack
The contest ended on February 28, 2023, and a total of 488 images were uploaded by 49 participants. The jury would be set up this week, and winners would be awarded before the end of March 2023.
This year, the Nigerian general election and the new cashless policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria impacted the overall contributions to the contest as photographers could not go out to take photos due to a cash constraint. And we could not organize photowalks for photographers and community members. However, we organized an online training for photographers who already have images in their archives.
International Mother Tongue’s Day 2023
On February 21, 2023, we collaborated with the Department of African languages and Asian studies at the University of Lagos to host the 2023 edition of the International Mother Tongue’s Day with the theme Nigerian Mother Tongue in the Age of Technology and Modernization.
The guest speakers include Prof.Oladipo Ajiboye, who spoke on domesticating technological terminologies in Yoruba.
There was a lecture on how terminologies in different fields can be developed in our indigenous languages. The audiovisuals of Yoruba indigenous vocation that we donated to the department were aired at the event. The president of the Wikimedia Yoruba fan club, Ms. Dorcas, spoke on the Yoruba Wikimedians' pragmatic efforts on oral knowledge and its presentation in audiovisual format.
There were presentations from other language experts, especially Chinese and Igbo. There was also a cultural performance by the Igbo students.
March 2023
Wiki Loves Africa 2023 in South-West Nigeria
This year, the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group in Nigeria organized Wiki Loves Africa 2023 in the south-west of Nigeria. The theme is Climate and Weather. We encouraged participants to submit any photos about climate and weather in the south-west of Nigeria or in other parts of Nigeria between March 15 and April 30, 2023, and win prizes. We organized a photowalk to take images relating to the theme.
This year, images relating to the theme are particularly difficult and challenging for participants. As of April 18, 2023, a total of 15 people have participated, and more than 240 images have been contributed.
In addition to the international prizes, we will award the following prizes locally.
- 1st Prize : NGN 100,000
- 2nd Prize : NGN 70,000
- 3rd Prize : NGN 50,000
The contest was impacted by the new cashless policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, as photographers could not go out to take photos due to a cash constraint. Even though we organized photowalks, there was a low turnout due to the cashless policy.
Yoruba Wiki Radio Show (March 2023 edition)
The Yoruba Wikipedia radio show is a weekly radio program designed to raise awareness about Yoruba Wikipedia, and it airs on Radio Lagos 107.5 FM. The second edition of the show began on March 20th, 2023, and it covers various focal topics, some of which include:
- Exploring the significance of Wikipedia for the Yoruba language.
- Unpacking the Process of Content Creation on Yoruba Wikipedia by Volunteers
- Assessing the social impact of volunteerism
- Examining the Influence of Yoruba Wikipedia on Yoruba Language Literacy
Mikaeel Sodiq Adesina is the lead presenter of the Yoruba Wikipedia radio show and collaborates with professional broadcasters such as kàrà Ogùn as well as members of the Yoruba Wikimedian community, including Adeniran Peters and Balkis Yusuf (User:Billybindun) and Omolade Dorcas.
During the broadcast, the presenters encouraged Yoruba speakers and writers to embrace volunteerism and participate in the Yoruba Wikipedia training program. They provided a phone number that interested individuals could text to express their willingness to participate and receive the link to the online training.
Over 200 individuals expressed interest in participating in the Yoruba Wikipedia training program, but during the actual training, only a few were able to participate due to challenges. Many of those who showed interest did not have access to an Android phone or other necessary gadgets required for the online training, while others lacked the technical skills needed to join a Zoom or G Meet webinar. As a result, the number of participants was lower than expected.
In-person training was scheduled for participants who had challenges participating in the online training. The venue and the training date were communicated to the participants at least five days in advance.
Training for listeners of the Yoruba Wiki Radio Show
On March 25, 2023, we organized an in-person training for listeners of the Yoruba Wiki Radio Show who had expressed interest in learning about the Yoruba Wikipedia and joining our community.
During the radio program, there is a section where we open our phone lines for listeners who may be interested in joining our community.
Participants are encouraged to send an SMS to the phone line to express interest. This is a strategic approach to recruiting new volunteers for our community.
More than 200 people contacted us to say they would like to be trained on how to contribute to the Yoruba Wikipedia. During the follow-up online, 20 people replied to our follow-up messages, but only five eventually joined the physical training.
The in-person training that was scheduled faced challenges, including a cash crunch and the Nigerian government's policy on the redesign of the Naira. These factors contributed to the low turnout, with only a handful of participants showing up for the in-person training. Despite these challenges, the organizers were able to retrain a few more participants at a later date.
At the end of the other training, participants created their Wikipedia accounts and made their first edits. No challenges were reported by the facilitators, and at least two of the participants have contributed to the Yoruba Wikipedia to date.
We also organized an online session for participants who could not join the in-person training. More than 20 people participated, and the training was led by Abidemi Dorcas, who is also the president of the Yoruba Wiki Fan Club at the University of Lagos.
At the end of the training, a WhatsApp group was created to mentor participants, and at the end of the mentorship, articles would be assigned to them for improvement and the creation of new articles.
We have also scheduled additional trainings for people who could not attend either of the two trainings.
Yoruba Wiki Fan Club weekly meetup
We have institutionalized weekly meetups for the Yoruba Wiki Fan Club at the University of Lagos. Now, the fan club meets on a weekly basis to train new volunteers and build capacity for existing members. Their activities also include edit-a-thons and translation-a-thons. The fan club has recruited many active members of the Yoruba Wikipedia. They meet every Wednesday at the Department of Linguistics for Asian and African languages.
The Yoruba Wikimedians User Group supports the group with internet, light refreshments, and a projector to facilitate their trainings. Some of the members of the fan club also participate in our radio program as co-presenters.
So far, the club has organized at least four meetups, one in February 2023 and three in March 2023, and more than 50 articles have been created by the participants, and at least more than 25 new users have created their accounts. Interestingly, most of the participants from the fan club are women.
April 2023
Internet data support program
On April 1, 2023, we launched the Internet support program as a microgrant program to support contributors to Yoruba Wikipedia's access to the internet.
Access to the internet is a major barrier for contributors from Africa, and this has impacted their contributions to Wikimedia projects such as the Yoruba Wikipedia. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 28.2% of the African population had access to the internet. This is due to a lack of affordability.
Internet costs are expensive in Africa, and due to the high inflation rate in Nigeria, many Yoruba Wikipedia volunteers cannot contribute to the Yoruba Wikipedia because they cannot afford to pay for internet data. In a survey conducted by the Yoruba Wikimedians User Group in 2022, it was evident that internet access remains one of the biggest challenges facing contributors. This program is designed to cushion the barriers to accessing the internet.
Groups or individual members of the Yoruba Wikimedia community may apply for this grant to support contributions to the Yoruba Wikipedia and related projects. The maximum amount we fund for individuals is NGN 10,000 and NGN 20,000 for groups per month.
As of April 18, 2023, we have received a total of 8 proposals, of which at least 3 have been approved and funded. Others have yet to respond to comments and questions left on the application's talk page.