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2025

Africa Wiki Challenge 2025 in Botswana

We hosted the Africa Wiki Challenge 2025 in Botswana as part of a continental effort to reclaim African narratives and advance justice for Africans and the diaspora. Through this campaign, we focused on truth-telling, restoration, and liberation, highlighting Botswana’s role in documenting resistance and liberation history, preserving indigenous knowledge, and promoting restorative justice in areas such as land reform, education equity, and repatriation. Activities: We organized online edit-a-thons and workshops that brought together diverse participants to contribute knowledge and expand the Setswana Wikipedia. We encouraged contributions on topics ranging from anti-colonial movements and land dispossession to restitution of cultural artifacts, oral traditions, and peace diplomacy. By doing so, we created space for communities to share their stories and strengthen the visibility of Botswana’s heritage on global platforms. Impact: Through this project, we empowered youth, strengthened digital literacy, and fostered a culture of collaboration. We contributed to the African Union’s reparative justice agenda while amplifying Botswana’s cultural heritage and resilience. Together, we ensured that our voices were heard and our narratives documented, leaving a lasting imprint on the global Wikimedia movement. First Virtual Training These are the media for our first virtual training. This is a screenshot of first Online Wikipedia Translation Training Participants of the first virtual training for Africa Wiki Challenge- BOTSWANA EDITION Africa Wiki Challenge in Botswana Training on using a smart phone for Convenience Second Virtual Training These are media files for the second virtual training. Second Training in progress Wikipedia Setswana Translation Training ongoing- Africa Wiki Challenge 2025 Participants of the Africa Wiki Challenge 20252md Training. Africa Wiki Challenge 2nd Virtual training. First Physical Training Media for the first physical training would be found here. Wikiverse first physical training Wikiverse first training in Mebala Youth Studios wikiverse physical training Wikiverse training in mebala Wikiverse training Wikiverse training Wikiverse physical training in Mebala Youth Studios Presentation of Wikipedia articles Training at Mebala Youth Studios An individual attending a training session at Mebala Youth Studios Second Physical Training Media for the second physical training would be found here. Wikiverse training in Kanye Participants in Wikiverse in Kanye Group photo in Kanye Training in Kanye Participants in Kanye for the Wikiverse physical training Mothusi Sekhomba assisting a participant in Wikiverse physical training in Kanye Projector used for presentation in the physical training in Kanye Wikiverse group photo in Kanye

2026

WikiVerse Botswana - Africa Wiki Challenge 2026

Overview The WikiVerse Botswana - Africa Wiki Challenge 2026, seeks to generate and enhance African content on Wikipedia and its sister projects. The challenge focuses on documenting issues that are central to the African continent’s development, heritage, and sustainability. Through this initiative, contributors are encouraged to create and improve articles that reflect Africa’s realities, achievements, and ongoing development efforts. Water is the backbone of Africa’s health, agriculture, industry, and ecological stability. Yet across the continent, access to safe drinking water, reliable sanitation systems, and climate-resilient water infrastructure remains a major challenge. Millions of Africans still face water insecurity, inadequate sanitation facilities, and the growing impacts of climate change on water resources. The African Union’s 2026 theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” provides a timely framework to strengthen awareness, improve data accessibility, and expand public knowledge about Africa’s water and sanitation challenges. Theme The 2026 Africa Wiki Challenge, under the theme “WATER FOR LIFE IN AFRICA,” our Liquid Heritage: Documenting the State of Africa’s Water Resources and Sanitation Systems – aims to address this gap by encouraging contributors to document Africa’s water systems and sanitation initiatives. Participants will be encouraged to create and improve articles related to rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater systems, sanitation infrastructure, water governance, climate change impacts, and innovative solutions to water management across the continent. Scheduled to take place from 25th May to 30th June 2026, the Africa Wiki Challenge will empower individuals, students, researchers, and communities to contribute to the world’s largest repositories of free knowledge—Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata. Through these contributions, participants will help ensure that Africa’s water heritage, environmental realities, and sanitation systems are better documented, visible, and accessible to audiences around the world. Ultimately, the campaign aims to strengthen Africa’s voice in the global knowledge ecosystem while supporting the broader goals of sustainable water management and development envisioned in Agenda 2063. Focus Topics Participants and organizers are encouraged to contribute content surrounding or related to the following topics. Contributions can include creating, uploading, or improving written (articles) or media content (such as photos, videos, and audio). Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Water Availability in Africa Rivers, Lakes, Wetlands, and Groundwater Systems Community Access to Clean and Safe Water Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources Droughts, Floods, and Extreme Weather Events Water Pollution and Contamination Sanitation and Hygiene Challenges Open Defecation and Waste Management Community-Based Hygiene and Sanitation Programs Environmental Conservation and Restoration Projects Education and Awareness on Water Usage Water Resource Monitoring and Data Availability Best Practices in Water and Sanitation Management Cultural and Societal Impacts on Water and Sanitation Innovations in Water Access and Sanitation Technology Global Collaboration on African Water and Sanitation Initiatives Challenges and Opportunities in African Water and Sanitation Systems Africa Water Resources Lake Victoria (East Africa) Lake Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Africa and a major source of water, fishing, and transportation for communities in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Lake Victoria Community Waters Fishermen and communities rely on Lake Victoria for livelihoods, drinking water, and economic activities. Lake Victoria Shoreline Communities living near Lake Victoria depend on the lake for domestic use, fishing, and agriculture. Child Fetching Clean Water (Rwanda) A child collects water from a community tap, showing efforts to improve access to safer drinking water sources.

2026

Wiki Loves Folklore 2026 in Botswana

'Wiki Loves Folklore (WLF) is an international photographic contest, but in 2026 it takes on a special local focus here in Botswana hosted by WikiVerse Botswana. Photographers, videographers, and audio recorders across the country are invited to contribute media showcasing Botswana’s folk culture to Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. These contributions will be used on Wikipedia and other platforms, ensuring Botswana’s traditions are preserved and shared globally with proper attribution. This Botswana edition of WLF celebrates our intangible cultural heritage, from folk dances like Setapa, Tsutsube, Phathisi, and Borankana, to folk music played on the segaba, to traditional cuisine such as seswaa and bogobe jwa lerotse, and folk wear like leteisi. It also embraces oral traditions or ballads, folktales, fairy tales, legends, praise poetry (maboko), and seasonal customs that define our communities. Why It Matters for Botswana The contest is more than photography, it is a catalyst for preserving Botswana’s intangible cultural heritage, in line with the 2003 UNESCO Convention. By capturing and sharing images of our rituals, practices, and traditions, we ensure that Botswana’s cultural identity is documented, celebrated, and transmitted to future generations. Through visual storytelling, Botswana’s communities can raise awareness of the importance of our cultural practices, while engaging citizens in heritage preservation. By showcasing Botswana’s folklore on Wikimedia Commons, we make our traditions accessible and relevant in the modern world. Botswana’s Contribution to a Global Movement Since its global launch in 2019 (originally as Wiki Loves Love), Wiki Loves Folklore has grown into a worldwide campaign. Over six years, it has collected 121,512 media files from 168 countries, thanks to 8,337 volunteers. Now, Botswana joins this global movement with its own local edition, ensuring that our folk festivals, dances, music, games, cuisine, clothing, and oral traditions are represented alongside the world’s cultural tapestry. First Online Training WikiVerse Botswana Onine training for WLF Presentation by WikiVerse Botswana WLF Botswana Online training Online Training Second Online Training Presentation by WikiVerse Botswana for WLF 2026 Ongoing Virtual training Captured training for WLF 2026 IN BOTSWANA Captured Slide during WLF 2026 in Botswana presentation First Day Physical Training & Photo Drives Participants during a photo walk in Kanye Kanye participants Participants during Pannel discussions at the Kanye public Library Second Day Physical Training & Photo Drives MmaMoamoge as a panelist. Photo drives at Goo Lowe In Kanye. Participants during a photo walk in Kanye. Kanye participants.

Wikipedia Birthday by Wikiverse Botswana

Other activities

World Environment Day 2025

In 2025 we partnered with The Global Shappers Community Gaborone Hub and Green Trust Botswana to celebrate the World Environment Day by pruning fruit trees that were planted through an initiative of 1 Million Tree Planting Campaign in efforts to address issues of Climate Change in Botswana. Group Picture after pruning trees. Man Pruning Furit trees during the World Environment day. Julia Molefhe Clinic Environment day Group picture.