Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Candidates/Gilbert Ndihokubwayo
Gilbert Ndihokubwayo (Gilbert Ndihokubwayo)
editGilbert Ndihokubwayo (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Introductory statement / Application summary. This section to be translated. (150 word maximum) |
I am Gilbert Ndihokubwayo, cofounder of the Wikimedia movement in Burundi; I have been involved and act as a Wikimedia project volunteer from early 2019. I contribute to Wikimedia projects; I have organized and coordinated Wikimedia projects like Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth, Africa Wiki Challenge, Editathons and awareness.
For now I plan to implement the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program in Burundi to train and help teachers understand and leverage Wikipedia as a learning tool by connecting it to the components of UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy framework. I have meet and shared experience with different personalities and then acquired experience in different cultures, socializations, etc. During my academic training, I acquired knowledge in communication and development; and throughout my various trainings, I also learned teaching methods and techniques, and have developed skills in the organizational strategy and management within my professional background. | |
| Contributions to the Wikimedia projects, memberships in Wikimedia organizations or affiliates, activities as a Wikimedia movement organizer, or participation with a Wikimedia movement ally organization. (100 word maximum) |
I'm involved in the organization of events to contribute to Wikimedia projects: wikipedia (editathons, Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos, ...), Commons (Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth).
I am also learning the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program. This is a professional training program of Wikimedia that aims to help teachers understand and leverage Wikipedia as a learning tool by connecting it to the components of UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy framework. The program helps to learn vital media and information literacy skills for the 21st century, including: understanding how information is produced, how to access and evaluate content online. | |
Expertise in skill areas identified as needs by the Board.
(150 word maximum) |
I have developed skills in the organizational strategy and management during my professional positions as operations manager and human resources manager, I could manage different services in which more than sixty persons work. I have been involved in the different investigations to collect and evaluate data about the population living analysis, and I can make an inspection of data to lead conclusions and/or to collect useful information in order to make a fruitful decision. I have the capacity of machine learning, I can develop sample forms to collect and analyze information. I have also developed skills in the public policy and the law during my work of human resources management.
During my professional background, I have increased skills in the implementation, planning and monitoring of activities in order to achieve the goals. I have also faced situations that involved me to restructure the strategic process. | |
| Lived experiences in the world. We are especially interested in reading about lived experiences in the regions of Africa, South Asia, East and South East Asia & Pacific, and Latin America & Caribbean. We believe that experience in these regions could help expand the board’s ability to fulfill the movement strategy goal of more equitable participation, although we recognize that other experiences may also provide important contributions. (250 word maximum) |
During my travels to countries other than my native country, I met with different personalities with whom I could share life experience, culture, socialization, etc.
In December 2016, I participated in the 6th African Esperantist Congress held in Tanzania in the city of Bunda. During this congress, I had the opportunity to discuss with people from countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Togo, France, Brazil, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Korea. In August 2017, I participated in the international congress of young Esperantists in Togo, in the city of Aneho. It was an opportunity for me to meet and share experience with people from Togo, Ghana, Benin, Rwanda, DRC, South Africa, France, Italy, Germany, etc. In September 2019, I have taken part in the East Africa Strategy Summit, East Africa stategy discussions. During the Summit in Kampala, I have met and shared experiences with wikimedians from different countries, among others Ugandans, Rwandans, Kenyans, Ethiopians, DRC, American, Ghana, Tanzanians. We have shared our hopes and expectations from the event, the common themes included bringing together the East African region, spreading awareness of Wikimedia and free knowledge in East Africa, learning about Wikimedia and Creative Commons projects, and community growth. I have also made visiting trips to countries in the sub-region, including Rwanda and Kenya, which have helped me to learn from others in their ways. I also had the opportunity to learn from others about teaching practices and methodologies, such as the Zagreb method and the production of teaching materials. | |
| Cultural and linguistic fluency with regions and languages additional to your native region and language. Intercultural awareness helps build bridges in our multicultural community. (250 word maximum) |
I learned English as my second language in school. It is a language that I use in various situations with at least an intermediate level. Apart from that I frequently speak French. French is my first language of learning since I was in elementary school and I use it very often in my daily life.
I am also fluent in Esperanto, and in fact I am a teacher of this language. During my career in Esperanto, I have participated in various events that have allowed me to learn theories and practices as in pedagogy and language teaching. Esperanto has allowed me to learn about the cultures of others. In congresses, we have often organized sessions of language festival, an opportunity for people to get aware with the culture of the countries through its linguistic specificities, its music and dances, its cuisine, its way of dressing, etc. Apart from these languages, I also speak Kirundi and Swahili as my mother tongues. Kirundi is the national language of Burundi and is spoken all over the country; the language has a great similarity with Rwanda, the language of the neighboring country, and therefore, it is very easy for a Burundian and a Rwandan to exchange. Burundi and Rwanda, we share a lot since the history of our two countries, the culture, dances, ways of life, etc. Swahili is a language of the sub-region. With Swahili, we find ourselves at home in Burundi, Tanzania, part of the DRC, Kenya, a little in Uganda. | |
| Experience as an advocate for creating safe and collaborative spaces for all and/or experience in situations or contexts of censorship, repression, or other attacks to human rights. (250 words maximum) |
I am a founding member of the [Community User Group Burundi], an initiative born in 2019 from three people after attending the East Africa Strategy Summit held in Kampala, Uganda. Since then I have been able to organize events through which community members have made contributions to Wikimedia projects, including editathons on Wikipedia, Africa Wiki Challenge in Burundi; photo contributions on Commons through events like Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth in Burundi.
Actually, I am about to implement the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program, a Wikimedia program to teach vital media and information literacy skills for the 21st century. Apart from the Wikimedia movement, I am a founding member of an association of consumers of information and communication technologies, an association that aims to promote the quality of service offered by telephone operators, the compliance of technical standards of telecommunications equipment made available to consumers and help resolve complaints. We founded the association in April 2013 and currently have more than one hundred members. We also supervise people who want to engage in self-development activities to better appropriate information and communication technologies in order to fight against poverty. In the Esperanto movement, I am currently responsible for the teaching of Esperanto in Burundi and I have been able to reorganize the language learning clubs. In 2020, I toured all the provinces of the country visiting the clubs in order to encourage the members. This had a very positive impact, new clubs were created, and clubs were revitalized. | |
| Experience in relation to (or as a member of, to the extent you choose to share) a group that has faced historical discrimination and underrepresentation in structures of power (including but not limited to caste, race, ethnicity, colour, national origin, nationality, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, language, culture, education, abilities, income and environment). (250 word maximum) |
Our country, Burundi, has experienced political turbulence based on ethnicity. This unrest caused many deaths and losses. However, we have experienced a post-war period, a period of reconciliation and pacification of the country. Different organizations have emerged to educate youth on mutual reconciliation. Nowadays in Burundi, ethnicity stories have no place anymore, the population has finally understood that the war that the country experienced was not really a question of ethnicity, but rather was for the interests of politicians.
This war had repercussions with neighboring countries (fighting, training and refugee camps, embargo) and officially ended in 2005 with sporadic violence after that date. In August 2000, a first agreement was signed, but without the National Liberation Forces and the Forces for the Defense of Democracy. A new transitional constitution was promulgated on October 28, 2001, establishing an "ethnic" alternation of power, with the presidency and vice-presidency changing every 18 months, alternating Tutsis and Hutus. Despite sustained military activity by Hutu armed groups, some of the National Liberation Forces laid down their arms on October 7, 2002, and the Forces for the Defense of Democracy agreed to participate in the peace process on October 8, 2003, with a final agreement reached on November 16. | |
| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
Eligibility:  VerifiedVerified by: Matanya (talk) 09:14, 17 May 2022 (UTC) |
Identification: | |