2023:Program/Lightning talk showcase/BRVDYS-Exploring the feasibility of Wikimedia Projects in addressing the triple planetary crisis - Perespective from the Global South

From Wikimania

Title: Exploring the feasibility of Wikimedia Projects in addressing the triple planetary crisis - Perespective from the Global South

Speakers:

Otuo-Akyampong Boakye

Otuo-Akyampong is an Environmental Scientist, Open knowledge activist, an awarding winning Climate Activist and a youth advocate. He is the president of the Kumasi Wiki Hub, Organizing secretary of the National Network of Youth Groups, a CSP fellow and a Climate Reality Leader. Otuo-Akyampong is interested in initiatives to improve vegetation cover, advance climate action and landscape restoration leverage on open knowledge. He is the founder and president of Eco Warriors Movement: a youth driven and led movement that is intended to restore degraded landscape and mitigate climate change by an integrated and inclusive approach. Otuo-Akyampong holds a masters in Environmental Science and a BSc. Biological Science from KNUST and many other professional certificates as an environmentalist. He is a Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Associate, Youth In Landscape bootcamper, Falling Walls Lab finalist, Community Solutions Program fellow and a Climate Reality leader. His international presence has been felt in cities like Moscow, Seoul, Washington DC and Berlin where he eloquently shared perspective on climate mitigation and adaptation in local context - using African innovation to address the our climate challenges. He is an affable public speaker, conference facilitator and an educator.

Pretalx link

Etherpad link

Room: Plenary Hall

Start time: Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:15:00 +0800

End time: Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:20:00 +0800

Type: No (pretalx) session type id specified

Track: No (pretalx) track id specified

Submission state: confirmed

Duration: 5 minutes

Do not record: false

Presentation language: en


Abstract & description[edit source]

Abstract[edit source]

Although Africa remains the least contributor to global Green House Gas (GHG) emission, it is the most affected in terms of a climate break-down. Alas, voluntary reporting on the impacts of Triple Planetary Crisis (TPC) remains a challenge due to low capacity and access. This workshop seeks to explore ways of using open source tools to provide real time and evidence based reports from primary sources to accentuate the impacts of the TPC in areas that ordinarily would not be captured by main stream media.

Description[edit source]

One of the main challenges to developing strong advocacy as well as equitable policies that has the potential to positively impact the lives of citizenry is getting access to information that projects a perfect representation of the entire Nation in real time and from primary sources. In Ghana and many other African countries the real impacts of the Triple Planetary Crisis are felt in rural and remote areas where main stream media hardly, if ever, captures. This further worsens widespread inequality in access to reliefs and support. But what if as advocates and wikipedians we can leverage the openness of the Wikimedia projects like wikinews, wikipedia and wiki commons to provide evidence-based reports from such neglected areas not just to national audience but to global audience!! What if we could use Wiki Commons as a hub to provide pictures and short audio-visual media from villages hit with flooding, drought, arsenic pollution, deforestation, famine and other threats to sustainability!! What if we can provide these reports in the African way attaching the passion and authenticity they deserve to the whole globe on a free to use website like wikipedia!!! The essence of this workshop is to whet the appetite of experienced African wikipedians to reach out to rural folks with key emphasis on teachers and health workers posted to these communities to build their capacity to be able to add primary data (content) to wikipedia and wiki commons and improve articles. With the advent of smart phones young people in rural areas can take pictures of current happenings in their communities like flooding, wild fires, drought, water pollution and upload to Wiki Commons for the world to see. This will provide a basis for support and relief for such communities. The main aim of this workshop is to project the Wikimedia Foundation not only as a digital information hub but also an active actor in the physical development of communities and the SDG agenda. The workshop shall be in two session, a 30min presentation by the facilitator on the subject and then a break out session for participants to engage in a participatory dialogue to explore innovative ways of implementing such projects in their communities. Rapporteurs from each group shall present to the plenary and a final communique shall be put together and published.

Further details[edit source]

Qn. How does your session relate to the event themes: Diversity, Collaboration Future?

Diversity aims at inclusivity through participation and representation. This is solely what my proposal seeks to achieve. That all people irrespective of their geographical location or financial orientation can participate in promoting and reporting on occurrences and events happening around them. This will the collaboration loop for a sustainable future. As other interested persons on higher trophic levels of the reporting food chain can collaborate with those at the base of the food chain to access primary and evidence based information for their reporting. This is the future we seek: “that all in all will be for the perusal of all”
The proposed workshop will as well highlight ways of exploring collaboration between grounds (field) persons and advocates in developing advocacy points on the Triple Planetary Crisis that are community specific and can catch the attention of policy makers. With real time evidence like pictures from Wiki commons one can easily direct interested persons to see more.

Qn. What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Average knowledge about Wikimedia projects or activities

Qn. What is the most appropriate format for this session?

  • Empty Onsite in Singapore
  • Tick Remote online participation, livestreamed
  • Empty Remote from a satellite event
  • Empty Hybrid with some participants in Singapore and others dialing in remotely
  • Empty Pre-recorded and available on demand