Nairobi, Kenya’s capital is set to host Wikimania 2025, the twentieth edition of the flagship annual conference that celebrates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, and the global community of volunteers (Wikimedians) who contribute to the platforms.
The annual hybrid conference scheduled for 6 – 9 August, is hosted by the Wikimedians of Kenya User Group; the East African Regional and Thematic Hub (EARTHub); and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects.
The theme of Wikimania 2025 is “Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability.”, bringing attention to the need to ensure a sustainable future for Wikimedia projects and the volunteers and efforts that make them possible.
The event will bring together over 1,000 Wikimedians and leaders in the digital space from more than 120 countries. Key speakers include: Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander, Head of Makerere University Artificial Intelligence Lab Dr. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende, and University of Pretoria Professor of Computer Science Vukosi Marivate.
“Wikimania is a window into our global Wikimedia community. This conference is a celebration of the people, from every corner of the world, who contribute their time, passion, and skills to share knowledge,” said Maryana Iskander, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation.
“Hosting Wikimania again on the African continent for its special 20 year anniversary is an acknowledgement of this region’s critical role in growing and shaping the Wikimedia projects for the future. As the next one billion people come online, it is more important than ever to expand Africa’s contributions to the global knowledge ecosystem through the Wikimedia projects.”
The event will feature workshops, edit-a-thons, policy discussions, keynotes, community meet-ups, and more.
Some key program highlights include: The Wikimedian of the Year Awards to recognize exceptional volunteers contributing to Wikimedia projects around the world, a keynote panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with renowned African technology experts and academics, including Dr. Nakatumba-Nabende and Prof. Marivate, on how open knowledge communities may navigate a fast-changing technological landscape while staying true to their core values and sessions that focus on technological advancements and how the Wikimedia Foundation and volunteer communities are engaging and defining their approach to AI to support humans in promoting access to free, reliable information.
Others include explorations into the ways libraries and Wikimedians can collaborate in the long-term to preserve cultural heritage; engaging with UNESCO on increasing access to cultural heritage; and research findings on preserving linguistic diversity on Wikipedia and the Wikimania Hackathon invites attendees of all experience levels to collaborate on software and database projects related to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
Nearly 300,000 volunteers are behind creating the information on Wikimedia projects, which are viewed more than 22 billion times every month. Wikipedia alone is edited in over 300 languages by nearly 260,000 volunteers every month around the world.
Wikimania’s hybrid format allows thousands of people around the globe to engage in real-time sessions, conversations, and cultural experiences. To ensure the participation of diverse people from various countries, the conference will be translated into multiple languages, including Arabic, French, English, Spanish, and Swahili.
