Introduction to WikiAfrica for Creative Profssionals

Encyclopaedia Britannica

• Printed version: 1 language; 500,000 topics over 32 volumes, by 4,411 contributors;
• Online version: 120,000 articles, public can edit, but information stamped as checked

Encyclopedia.com

• 50,000 topic summaries

Citizendium

• 16,269 articles

"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge."

How can Wikipedia be truly

global when 84%

of articles are written by

people in the global North?

• Four out of five editors are male.
• Half are under the age of 22.
• Four out of five edits come from countries in the Global North.

• Africa has over 1000 Museums
• Of the 508 on the AfriCom database
• 26% have articles
• 4% have stubs

Comparison: Museums in Italy

• 320 Italian museums in total

• 176 museums with links = 55%

• 154 museums no links = 48%

• 31 (or 35%) are featured on English Wikipedia

• 25 (or 28%) are on French Wikipedia

International Collaboration

Leverage partnerships, support, technology and tools to:

"Museums have the knowledge and the documentation, and Wikipedia has a global reach and a circulation far beyond anything any museum could achieve on its own.

• – Josep Serra, Director, Museu Picasso

It fits the core mission of

cultural institutions and should fit the thoughts of artists to spread cultural knowledge.

Institution and artists can share their knowledge and artwork with audiences around the world, and not just with those who can physically access the gallery.

Wikipedia is an interactive, dynamic platform for friends and arts enthusiasts to add to, and share their passions.

Numbers of people visiting any gallery or exhibition are likely to increase as they have greater awareness of the artist's intention and artwork, and its relevance to their interests.

Antarctica: Castle Rock & Mt. Erebus by eliduke on flickr. CC-BY-SA

Oxford Internet Institute, Dr Mark Graham

of these 88 artists

Oxford Internet Institute Data, Dr Mark Graham

from a sample of 1,5 million articles

7,800 articles on Antarctica

Flickr. Emilio Labrador's Timbuktu Preferred Method Of Transport. CC-BY

as represented on English Wikipedia

A map of geotagged articles on English Wikipedia. Oxford Internet Institute, Dr Mark Graham, CC BY-NC-ND

Or the site of one of the longest running

universities in the world

Africa Remix 2004-2007

5 exhibitions

• Dusseldorf
• London
• Paris
• Tokyo
• Johannesburg

88 contemporary African artists

WikiMedia’s Strategic 5-year Plan, published in February 2011

Chris Ofili

innovation,

beauty,

art,

Mapping Edits to Wikipedia from Africa. Oxford Internet Institute, Dr Mark Graham, CC BY-NC-ND

migration, riches, language and individuality

Africa Remix, catalogue cover, 2005 edited by Jean-Hubert Martin

Safety First by Candice Borzechowski. Image courtesy Africa Centre

Jane Alexander, African Adventure, 1999-2002 Installation

© Photos: Haupt & Binder

What do you think of, when you think of Africa?

Exactly what does Wikipedia

mean to people in Africa?

Joseph-Francis Sumegné, La Nouvelle Liberté, 1996.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_de_la_nouvelle_liberte_Douala.jpg

mandate

i Share

http://www.doualart.org

Wikipedia ...

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roberto_Paci_Dalò_-_SUD_Salon_Urbain_de_Douala_2010_(4).jpg

Pascale Marthine Tayou, La Colonne Pascale,

New Bell, Douala, 2010. Public art commissioned and produced by doual'art within SUD 2010. 

The sum of human knowledge … or is it?

Photo by Roberto Paci Dalò, Douala, 2010 http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Roberto_Paci_Dalò_-_SUD_Salon_Urbain_de_Douala_2010_(273).jpg.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roberto_Paci_Dalò_-_SUD_Salon_Urbain_de_Douala_2010_(239).jpg

goes beyond geography

TWO pronged approach:

oxford internet institute on tracemedia.co.uk

• Plug in to existing content and assist in getting it onto Wikimedia

• Challenge and support individuals to plug in and contribute their specialist knowledge and passions to Wikipedia.

wikiafrica@africacentre.net

@WikiAfrica

www.wikiafrica.org

leveraging enthusiasts

- statistics, oxford internet institute

a project of

more feet

Eva the Weaver on http://www.flickr.com/photos/evaekeblad/ CC-NC-SA

Aryan Kagarof, "Wall writing” from http://www.moleskine.com/web/us/news/detail?groupId=10837&articleId=76678#.UKObqxyZIQI