Wikimedia Community User Group Côte d'Ivoire/Reports/Annual report 2014

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Wikimedia Community User Group Côte d’Ivoire
Annual report 2014


2014 was an effective debut year for the activities of Wikimedia Community User Group in Côte d'Ivoire right after a first meet-up and a minimalist organization in 2013. It was mainly about gathering as many people as possible around the user group, in order to give it an official status while encouraging Ivorian Wikimedians and the general public to contribute on Wikimedia platforms.

This annual report aims at summarizing the state of activities carried out, sharing comments and observations and proposing perspectives for 2015.

Activities carried

Activities during 2014 include monthly local meetings, national events, meetings and international events, developing relationships with national partners and the development of international relationships.

Monthly Meeting

 
Wikipedia Presentation in a school

Apart from physical or online weekly meetings of the Coordination Committee, ten physical meetings were held during 2014 period with Wikipedians of Côte d'Ivoire. These are:

  • 22 February 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #1)
  • 22 March 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #2)
  • 26 April 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #3)
  • 31 May 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #4)
  • 29 June 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #5)
 
WikiWorkshop Photos uploading
  • 26 July 2014
: WikiAtelier of 26 July 2014 (#Wikiciv #6)
  • 30 August 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #7)
  • 26 September 2014
: Monthly meeting of Ivorian Wikimedians (#Wikiciv #8)
  • 25 October 2014
: Coaching upload photos and exercise (#Wikiciv #9)
  • 29 November 2014
: Permanence to upload photos for Wiki loves Africa 2014 (#Wikiciv #10)

  Some pictures and comments from these meetings are visible on the website of Wikimedia Community User Group Côte d'Ivoire.

Other national activities

 
Launch Press Conference Wiki Loves Africa 2014

At national level, events have also been set WMCI-UG or by external partners. These are:

  • 12 July 2014
: Conference on Web 2.0 and Presentation of Wikimedia projects
  • 08 November 2014
: WCUG-CI and Kumusha Takes Wiki at the National Festival of Ivorian dishes (Fesnami) 2014
  • 08 November 2014
: WCUG-CI and Kumusha Wiki Takes Wiki at the International Book Fair of Abidjan (Sila) 2014
  • 15 November 2014
: Press Conference for Wiki Loves Africa Cuisine 2014 in Abidjan
  • 19 November 2014
: WCUG-CI and Kumusha Takes Wiki at Felix Houphouet-Boigny University

Some pictures and comments from these meetings are visible on the website of Wikimedia Community User Group Côte d'Ivoire.

Other international activities

 
Family photo at the end of the Conference WikiIndaba 2014

WCUG-CI was also able to take part of international activities. These are:

  • WikiIndaba in Johannesburg from
  • Innovafrica in Lomé from
  • Wiki loves Africa Cuisine in Côte d'Ivoire

Local Partnership

 
WCUG-CI with some members of the Association of Writers Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan Book Fair

WCUG-CI has established contacts at local level, with institutional partners. These are:

  • The Felix Houphouet-Boigny University (Department of Philosophy);
  • The Association of Writers of Côte d'Ivoire (AECI);
  • The General Secretary of Francophonie;
  • The Regulatory Authority of catering and food trades (ARRMA).

International Relationship

 
Participants around Kumusha Takes Wiki

WCUG-CI has tried to keep the keep in touch with other emerging organizations in Africa, developing a useful partnership with WikiAfrica in South Africa, Affcom Wikimedia Foundation and other Wikimedians in general.

  • Wikimedia Foundation (Affcom)
  • WikiAfrica (Kumusha Takes Wiki)

Results

Positive results were obtained in 2014:

  • Thousands of contributions were made thanks to WMCI-UG on Wikipedia in English, French, German, Wikimedia Commons, Wikiquote, Wikibooks, Wikivoyage in French and in English.
  • Hundreds of people have been sensitized on Open movement and how to contribute on technical platforms. A few dozen people were committed.
  • National television, newspapers with large audience and various blogs, relayed the information spread by WCUG-CI on during national and international events in Côte d'Ivoire.
  • Members and supporters of the movement part of Wikimedia CI facebook group who were around fifty (50) at the very begining of the year, reached the number of 400 by the end of the year 2014.
  • WCUG-CI has been officially acknowledged by WMF as a User Group on November 28, 2014.

Remarks and Observations

  • The Ivorian grew up in term of maturity, notoriety and gained momentum in Côte d'Ivoire.
  • Members are becoming more motivated and more familiar with publishing articles or pages and using tools of Wikimedia platforms.
  • Work on the formal establishment of the association, particularly the draft of legal texts (statutes and internal rules) of the association are well advanced.
  • A wide scope of people and institutions remains to inform and educate in Côte d'Ivoire and WCUG-CI must tackle it with zeal and intelligence.
  • A Good synergy of all activities and projects tending to strengthen Wikimedia platforms will lead to practical results in a short time.

Perspectives

2015 also remains as a year of transition towards the effective acknowledgment of a local association Wikimedia in Côte d'Ivoire. It also will be a year to intensify awareness among local people regarding free knowledge and the Open movement. The actions will focus, mainly, on the institutional and editorial areas:

Institutional area

  • Set up monthly meetings;
  • Set up the constituent general assembly of the association;
  • Participate in major events of the Wikimedia movement in Africa as well as at international level;
  • Put together in synergy, all projects related to Wikimedia in Côte d'Ivoire;
  • Get the renewal of the annual recognition for the User Group WCUG CI.

Editorial area

  • Train new contributors;
  • Multiply publishing opportunities;
  • Increase the number and quality of publications.

Different projects developed in the 2015 program of activities, will achieve these objectives.

The Chairman, Donatien Kangah