2025:Program/Women in Religion Crossing Oceans: Creating Visibility for African Scholars
Session title: Women in Religion Crossing Oceans: Creating Visibility for African Scholars
- Session type: Lightning talk
- Track: Lightning Talk Showcase
- Language: sw
đ„ Session Recording: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Women_in_Religion_Crossing_Oceans-Creating_Visibility_for_African_Scholars_by_Rosalind_Hinton-Day_2-_Lightning_Talk.webm đ„
This panel will present the experiences of a collaboration between Wikiwomen in Religion in the U.S and Kenya. We will review the personal experiences of participants such as: cultural communications, successes, and obstacles, and strategies to overcome obsitcles. We will take questions and seek input in order to grow our editor base in Africa. We will brainstorm funding sources needed to create a physical hub at the University of Nairobi for recruiting, training, research, and community development.
Description
The Women in Religion WikiProject is an initiative initiative to create, update, and improve Wikipedia content about the lives of cis and transgender women who are notable as scholars, activists, and practitioners in the world's religious, spiritual, and wisdom traditions.
Since 2018, this WikiProject has continually expanded, with affiliated Wikimedians working on regional projects in Australia, India, Kenya, and, recently, working with women in Madagascar. In addition to adding and improving content to Wikipedia, project members have contributed to Wikidata, WikiCommons, and Wikiquote. In 2022 we begin conducting studies in Artificial intelligence using large language models to ascertain their usefulness in editing Wikipedia articles and biographies and increasing knowledge equity.
This Panel will present the work of our Rapid Grants in Kenya and our Kenya editors' growth and aspirations for a physical Wikipedia hub at the University of Nairobi Graduate Library. This hub will be for the recruitment of editors, trainings, and research for Wikipedia
The goals of this session are 1. To share cultural and editorial success and challenges in working across cultures. 2. To brainstorm successful strategies for expanding the visibility of African women scholars on Wikipedia and explore funding opportunities. 3. To share personal experiences of working with Wikipedia. 4. To invite participants in the Nairobi area to join individually and collectively in increasing the visibility of African scholars and activists on Wikipedia. 5. To explore funding strategies and collaborations with African women editors.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 â Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
The Mission of Women and Religion is to seek knowledge equity while working within and pushing the boundaries of the Western epistemologies that drive Wikipedia. Our work is at the intersection of racial, ethnic, and gender inclusivity. The panel aims to share and make visible African epistemologies that decenter colonial, patriarchal, misogynist, and white supremacist epistemologies endemic to Wikipedia and the West.
The session explores the personal experiences of participants on the panel and in the audience so that we can enhance intercultural exchanges across borders. We seek to create post-secular (respecting religious and secular worlds equally), and inclusive communities while increasing the visibility of African women-identified scholars and activists who are justice-seeking. Their stories offer healing and, pathways to inclusive communities in an increasingly polarized world.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- Rosalind Hinton
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- Carolyne ChepngâEno
- Lucy Gichane