The Wali Language Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon in Ghana 2025

In a significant stride towards fostering digital equity and cultural preservation, the Wali Wikimedians Community, in close collaboration with the Dagaare Wikimedians Community, proudly organized its inaugural in-person training on February 2, 2025 at Wa, the regional capital and subsequent Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon in Ghana. This landmark event served as a powerful platform to empower local editors and address critical content gaps on Wikipedia, particularly concerning the contributions of women artists within the rich cultural tapestry of Ghana.

Addressing Digital Gaps and Biases

While the digital landscape stands as an unparalleled tool for global connection and expression, it regrettably often mirrors and amplifies existing societal biases and stereotypes. Women and marginalized groups, particularly those residing in regions like Northern Ghana’s Upper West Region, frequently find their narratives underrepresented or distorted online. This disparity is acutely felt within the realms of art and culture, where the invaluable contributions of women artists are systematically overlooked and their legacies remain largely undocumented in accessible digital formats. Recognizing this critical imbalance, the Wali Wikimedians Community initiated this Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon to directly challenge these inequalities and consciously work towards amplifying the voices and ensuring the rightful recognition of women artists. During the edith-on, articles on women were created and improved in the Wali Language where speakers and readers can access this free knowledge.

Objectives

Our primary objective for this initiative was multifaceted, to increase the global visibility of African women artists by creating and rigorously editing Wikipedia articles dedicated to their work, specifically within the Ghanaian language, Wali. By doing so, we aimed to make their artistic contributions more accessible to a global audience, thereby ensuring their recognition, celebration, and inclusion in the world’s largest free knowledge repository. This effort not only enriches Wikipedia’s content but also serves as a vital step in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Ghana through its indigenous languages especially the Wali language.

The In-Person Training

The journey began with a foundational in-person training session held in Wa, the vibrant capital of the Upper West Region of Ghana. This crucial gathering brought together registered 45 enthusiastic participants [check for event here], comprising both new and experienced Wikipedia editors. Over the course of the training, attendees were equipped with essential Wikipedia editing skills, including article creation, referencing, formatting, and adherence to Wikimedia’s core content policies. Beyond the technical instruction, the session fostered a dynamic environment for collaboration and socialization. Participants engaged in lively discussions, shared insights, and built connections, laying the groundwork for a robust and supportive local editing community.

Outcomes

Following the training, the Art+Feminism contest was launched, translating the acquired skills into tangible contributions. The outcomes were truly remarkable and underscore the dedication of our community:

• 555 New Wikipedia Articles Created: This staggering number represents a monumental leap in documenting the lives and works of African women artists. Each new article serves as a vital entry point for researchers, art enthusiasts, and the general public to discover previously overlooked talents, directly combating the digital gender gap in cultural representation.
• 187 Wikipedia Articles Edited: Beyond creating new content, participants meticulously enhanced 187 existing Wikipedia articles. These edits ranged from adding missing biographical details and expanding on artistic styles to improving referencing and ensuring neutrality, thereby enriching the quality and depth of information available on the platform.
• Corresponding Wikidata Edits: Crucially, the same number of edits (187) were made on Wikidata for both new and existing items. This meticulous effort ensures that the structured data underpinning these Wikipedia articles is accurate, comprehensive, and interlinked. By connecting these articles to the broader web of knowledge on Wikidata, we enhance their discoverability, facilitate cross-language access, and contribute to the semantic web, making the contributions of these artists machine-readable and globally reusable.

One particularly fascinating aspect of this contest was the outstanding performance of our female participants. Umar Asiya (Username: Umar Asiya) emerged as the overall winner and top female contributor, demonstrating exceptional dedication and skill. The first runner-up was also a female newbie editor, Uthman Salma (Username: Uthman salma), highlighting the rapid growth and impact of new female voices in our community. These impressive achievements were followed by Bismark Lanidune (Username: ANTHONY DERY) as the second runner-up and Muhaideen Faiz (Username: Muhaideen Faiz Brichini) as the third runner-up, further showcasing the diverse talent engaged in this initiative.

Word from awardees

“I am impressed to have won the top contributor and top female contributor awards. I will use this platform to encourage my dear ladies that you can do just as our male colleagues. The road was tough, but I excelled. Wikimedia is a platform where we can showcase our languages, and we must take it seriously.” Username Umar Asiya speaks

“I thank the organizers for this event. This is my first time on Wikipedia. It is really nice publishing work on Wikipedia, especially in my local language Waalii. I wish I continue this hard work.” Username Uthman salma speaks.

“It is a grate honor to be part of Wali Wikipedia incubator movement by winning this amazing prize.
The marvelous thing is that, it’s not just about winning prize as a beginner but seeing myself as agent of publicising my own local language into the internet.
All thanks goes to the grate organizers of the event.” Username: ANTHONY DERY speaks.

“I am so honored to be part of this community and to have even won a prize for my editing on the Wali Wikipedia. I had been contributing to the English Wikipedia for some time, but I never knew Wali Wikipedia existed. Now that I do, I know I can contribute more to grow my language digitally.” Username: Muhaideen Faiz Brichini speaks.

A Step Towards a More Inclusive Digital Future

The Wali Language Edit-a-thon – Art+Feminism in Ghana 2025 has been a resounding success, demonstrating the power of community-led initiatives in addressing systemic biases within the digital realm. The creation of hundreds of new articles and the enhancement of existing ones, coupled with the crucial Wikidata contributions, significantly amplifies the visibility and recognition of African women artists. This project not only enriches the Wali Wikipedia but also serves as a beacon of empowerment for local editors, fostering a vibrant community committed to building a more inclusive and representative global knowledge base. We look forward to building on this momentum, continuing our efforts to ensure that every voice finds its place in the world’s collective knowledge.

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