This is huge! Proud of you all Winnie Kabintie (her/she)
Movement Communications Specialist, Africa Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/> On Wed, Jun 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM Florence Devouard <[email protected]> wrote: > WOW. Serious big achievement ! Congratulations for this amazing > partnership ! > > Flo > Le 17/06/2025 à 19:22, James Rhoda a écrit : > > Dear All, > > We are excited to announce the launch of the WikiHeritage Fellowship, a > transformative initiative aimed at improving access to Nigeria’s historical > records. > > Through a strategic collaboration between Wikimedia UG Nigeria (registered > as Wikimedia Nigeria Foundation), the Young Innovation Leaders (YIL) > Initiative, and the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB), this > fellowship seeks to unearth, digitise, and publish rare archival documents > as open knowledge resources on platforms like Wikipedia. > > We designed this idea to preserve and digitise hundreds of historical > records, including manuscripts, letters, maps, and public documents that > have remained largely inaccessible to the public. The goal is to ensure > that Nigerian history is no longer confined to physical vaults but is made > openly available and accessible to students, educators, researchers, and > the global public. > > *The partnership brings together:* > • Wikimedia Nigeria Foundation contributes its expertise in free knowledge > dissemination and a robust volunteer community to enrich Wikipedia and its > sister projects with verified historical content. > • The Young Innovation Leaders (YIL) Initiative provides leadership > development, youth engagement, and digital literacy training. > • The Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) offers access to > rare archival resources and provides institutional support for their proper > digitisation and preservation. > > This collaboration is also strategically aimed at making pre-Internet > archival resources available in digital formats, enabling them to be used > as citable, verifiable sources to enhance the quality and depth of > historical content about Lagos and Nigeria on Wikipedia and similar > knowledge platforms. > "We believe that our history should not be hidden in vaults. This project > is about preserving our heritage and making it openly available, > responsibly and accurately," said Olushola Olaniyan, President of the > Wikimedia Nigeria Foundation. > > The project emerged as a strategic response to the critical lack of > authoritative and reliable sources supporting the online documentation of > Nigeria's history. It aims to fill the gap in verifiable information and > promote balanced storytelling about the country's past. The project will > premiere in Lagos, widely regarded as one of Nigeria's most culturally > rich, technologically advanced, and administratively structured states, > making it an ideal starting point for this ambitious undertaking. > > *Key Highlights of the Project* > • Digitisation of Archival Records: Hundreds of rare historical documents > will be digitised and preserved for unrestricted public use. > • Wikipedia Content Enrichment: Primary source materials will be > integrated into Wikipedia articles to enhance the accuracy and depth of > information. > • Community Engagement: Volunteers will participate in public edit-a-thons > and workshops to gain skills in historical documentation and digital > preservation. > • Youth Empowerment: Young journalists and fellows will benefit from a > series of training programs in Wikipedia editing, leadership, and archival > research. > > *Fellowship Program Launch* > As part of this initiative, the organising partners are pleased to > announce the launch of a Fellowship Program, which will run from June 18 to > June 30, 2025. The fellowship will train selected participants in archival > research, leadership, and digital documentation, preparing them to serve as > custodians of Nigeria's historical legacy. > > A Model for National Impact > This collaboration is expected to serve as a model for future > public-private knowledge-sharing partnerships, aligning with broader goals > around open data, digital citizenship, and cultural preservation. By > empowering communities and expanding access to historical information, the > initiative is poised to leave a lasting impact on how Nigeria's history is > preserved, taught, and shared. > > *Application Time-Line* > Application Launch: 18 June 2025 > Application Close: 30 June 2025 > Program Start: July 2025 > > Applicants can apply using the registration link below: > https://forms.gle/ErajYsEuGynJj9TAA > > To learn more about the project, visit the link to its meta page below : > https://w.wiki/EVvh > > Warm regards, > Rhoda James > On behalf of the WikiHeritage Organising Team > > _______________________________________________ > African-Wikimedians mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > African-Wikimedians mailing list -- > [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to > [email protected] >
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