2025:Program/Reviving the Unheard: Digitizing Lampung Language & Culture through Wikimedia
Session title: Reviving the Unheard: Digitizing Lampung Language & Culture through Wikimedia
- Session type: Lecture
- Track: Open Data
- Language: en
🎥 Session recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWUaYaK&-cg0?list=PLhV3K_DS5YfLPVASK2MANk6wSHgWmbULz&t=17377 🎥
The Lampung language and culture remain underrepresented, even within Indonesia. While languages like Javanese, Sundanese, and Minangkabau have strong digital footprints, Lampung remains largely invisible in global knowledge repositories. This session will highlight ongoing efforts to document, digitize, and promote Lampung through Wikimedia projects such as WikiTutur, Wiktionary, and Wikipedia. As the Community Coordinator of Komunitas Wikimedia Bandar Lampung, I will share insights into challenges, successes, and future strategies for expanding Lampung’s presence on Wikimedia. The session will also explore how digital platforms can empower indigenous and regional communities to preserve their linguistic and cultural identity. By shedding light on Lampung, this presentation aims to inspire more initiatives focused on underrepresented languages.
Description
Languages are more than just communication tools—they carry history, identity, and cultural heritage. However, many indigenous and regional languages, like Lampung, remain underrepresented both nationally and globally. While languages such as Javanese, Minangkabau, and Sundanese have gained significant recognition, Lampung has struggled to achieve the same level of visibility, even within Indonesia. This session will explore how Wikimedia projects can serve as powerful platforms to document, preserve, and promote underrepresented languages and cultures.
As the Community Coordinator of Komunitas Wikimedia Bandar Lampung, I have been leading initiatives to digitize the Lampung language and culture through Wikimedia projects. These efforts include: 1. WikiTutur – a project that records and documents Lampung pronunciation and vocabulary through Wiktionary and Lingua Libre. 2. WikiLatih Wikipedia – training local contributors to create well-sourced articles on Lampung language, history, traditions, and figures. 3. Wiktionary Contributions – enriching Lampung linguistic data and expanding its accessibility.
Despite these initiatives, challenges persist: 1. Lack of awareness – Many Indonesians are unfamiliar with Lampung as a distinct linguistic and cultural entity. 2. Limited digital resources – Unlike other major Indonesian languages, Lampung lacks extensive online documentation. 3. Declining native speakers – The younger generation often prioritizes Indonesian or Javanese over their regional language.
This session will analyze these challenges and discuss effective strategies to overcome them through Wikimedia platforms. Key takeaways include: 1. How collaborative community-driven Wikimedia projects can strengthen endangered languages. 2. The role of open-access knowledge platforms in promoting linguistic and cultural diversity. 3. How Wikimedia can be used to empower regional communities and encourage participation from native speakers.
By showcasing Lampung’s case, this session aims to inspire broader discussions on the representation of indigenous and regional languages on Wikimedia. The goal is to encourage more Wikimedia communities worldwide to document and celebrate their linguistic and cultural heritage—ensuring that no language is left behind.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
Our session aligns with Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity, Impact, and Sustainability in multiple ways:
1. Inclusivity – We focus on preserving and documenting indigenous languages, particularly through WikiTutur. By empowering local communities to contribute linguistic data to Wikimedia projects, we ensure that underrepresented voices and knowledge are included in the global digital ecosystem.
2. Impact – Language preservation is crucial for cultural identity and knowledge-sharing. By leveraging Wikimedia platforms like Wiktionary and Lingua Libre, our initiative helps create freely accessible linguistic resources that benefit researchers, educators, and language learners worldwide.
3. Sustainability – Our efforts contribute to the long-term sustainability of linguistic diversity. By encouraging community-driven participation and capacity building, we ensure that these documentation efforts continue beyond a single event, fostering lasting engagement with Wikimedia projects.
In summary, our session not only supports Wikimedia’s mission of free knowledge but also strengthens the global movement for linguistic and cultural sustainability.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- Deo Bernedy Putra
- Deo Bernedy is a dedicated Wikimedia volunteer and community organizer, actively contributing to the Wikimedia movement through language preservation, open knowledge, and community engagement. He is the co-founder and community coordinator of **Komunitas Wikimedia Bandar Lampung**, where he organizes Wikipedia training sessions (WikiLatih), language documentation projects (WikiTutur), and community meetups.
- His contributions span multiple Wikimedia platforms, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and Commons, with a particular focus on documenting regional languages such as **Lampung Pesisir** and **Malay dialects**. Deo has also collaborated with Wikimedia Indonesia on initiatives promoting inclusivity and access to knowledge.
- Beyond Wikimedia, he has experience in **public speaking, leadership training, and cultural diplomacy**, advocating for digital literacy and sustainable knowledge-sharing practices. His work aligns with Wikimedia’s mission to make knowledge freely accessible while fostering community-driven collaboration.
- Ahmad Arrofian Taufiq Hilmi
- Ahmad Arrofian Taufiq Hilmi is an active Wikipedia contributor who is deeply committed to expanding access to reliable and inclusive knowledge, particularly in local contexts. He consistently engages in editing and curating content on Wikipedia, with a focus on topics related to Indonesian culture, history, and social issues. His involvement also extends beyond the digital platform, as he actively participates in community training initiatives such as WikiLatih, aiming to empower others to contribute meaningfully to the open knowledge ecosystem.
- In addition to his work on Wikipedia, Taufiq is a passionate of social media who believes in the power of digital platforms to amplify positive impact. He uses social media not only as a tool for communication but also as a space to promote digital literacy, build engaged online communities, and share educational content in creative and inclusive ways. His combined expertise in open-source knowledge and digital engagement enables him to serve as a bridge between credible information and today’s fast-paced digital generation.