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Program/AfroCROWD: expanding into the African Diaspora

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AfroCROWD: expanding into the African Diaspora

AfroCROWD: expanding into the African Diaspora
Notes
Format

Panel

Keywords
  • women
  • participation
  • collaboration
  • AfroCROWD
  • transnational partnerships
  • archives
  • diaspora
  • oral history
  • African diaspora
  • intangible heritage
When and where
  • Saturday 21 July, 12:00
  • Duration: 25 minutes
  • Esino Lario

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Presenter(s)
Topic area
Relationship to theme

Access & accessibility
Participation & representation

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Abstract

This panel discussion highlights AfroCROWD's expansion and our methodology to identify knowledge gaps and improve content with and about communities in the African diaspora.

Afro Free Culture Crowdsourcing Wikimedia (AfroCROWD) is an initiative which seeks to increase awareness of the Wikimedia and free knowledge, culture and software movements among potential editors of African descent. Founded in New York City in the United States, AfroCROWD has since expanded its activities to London and Los Angeles. AfroCROWD's methodology centers on partnerships with GLAM, educational and community organisations to draw attention to knowledge production and transnational intellectural traditionals. AfroCROWD works is creating partnerships that reflect the transnational nature of the African Diaspora.

Since its launch during Black Wiki History Month in 2015, AfroCROWD has sensitized thousands in its target audience about free culture crowdsourcing and the need to close the multicultural and gender gaps in Wikipedia. Recent highlights include presentations at Wikimania, 2017, a keynote address at Wikiconference North America, amplifying women's voices at the United Nations with the Swedish WikiGap initiative, working with Columbia University Oral History MA to produce a Wikimedia Commons content project on marginalized communities, and running monthly Wikipedia editathons and events on themes relevant to underrepresented communities in the African Diaspora. We have also actively supported allied Wikipedia projects that address inclusion and representation within diverse communities.

This session will relate to the conference theme of "Bridging knowledge gaps: the ubuntu way forward" by addressing not only gaps in content but also, gaps within the editing community and forms of knowledge.

The panel will discuss the challenges and successes of building transnational and inter-regional partnerships that work with knowledge and communities, that although Western, are frequently marginalised. The more of the wider diaspora community and perspectives that can be covered and reached, the closer we arrive to true Ubuntu.

Outcomes

Attendees will learn about AfroCROWD’s methods and practices, aproaches to partnership building as well as challenges and successes in working across a diaspora and with often marginalised forms of knowledge.



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