The WikiFocus calls on Wikimedia and environmentalists to add factual information and well-researched articles about every aspect of Africa’s climate to the site.
The Africa Environment WikiFocus was established by Wiki In Africa (www.wikiinafrica.org) and their organising partner, Wikimedia Usergroup Côte d’Ivoire, to enhance the coverage and comprehension of climate and environmental topics on Wikipedia, particularly in Africa.
The WikiFocus, which runs for a full month, calls on Wikimedia and environmentalists to add factual information and well-researched articles about every aspect of Africa’s climate to the site. Only 28% of Africans (in the 34 countries surveyed) were found to be aware of the concept of climate change, according to the Afrobarometer report from 2019.
This alarming ignorance is partially caused by a widespread absence of pertinent information about climate, weather, and climate change in Africa, especially from the media. One of the few media sources available to people in Africa for free is Wikipedia.
One of the continents most susceptible to the effects of climate change is Africa. Only about 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from Africa. However, climate change will have a disproportionately negative impact on it.
UN stated that, Africa will be significantly impacted by climate change. Increased frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events that can harm crops and infrastructure and result in food shortages are among the expected effects.
According to estimates from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), crop yields in Africa could decrease by up to 30% by 2050 as a result of climate change.
The Africa Environment WikiFocus will include recent factual information and research, some of which will be explicitly provided by the African Union and organisations working in the climate and environmental sectors.
Additionally, it will increase public awareness of these issues by expanding Wikipedia’s coverage of climate and environmental issues. The project brings together Wikipedians, environmental organisations, and experts in the field of climate change to produce high-quality, thoroughly researched articles that are freely available to a large audience.
In March and April, seventeen volunteer Wikimedia communities from Francophone and Anglophone Africa will hold in-person editing sessions.
More online training courses will disseminate the information needed to contribute to Wikipedia (watch this one on YouTube). Through targeted alignment with several ongoing Wiki In Africa initiatives, Africa’s Wikimedia communities have offered additional ways to participate.
The launch event was broadcast live each month during the Wiki Africa Hour. Visit YouTube to watch the launch. Images of women working on the front lines of climate change are the focus of the Wiki Loves Women annual Tell Us About Her image description drive.
This year, entries for Wiki Loves Africa, Africa’s largest annual photo contest, are invited that show climate and weather in the form of photos, videos, audio, diagrams, and photo essays.
Two new prizes have been added to the Wiki Loves Africa prize categories as a result of Wiki in Africa’s deliberate alignment of the two projects, Wiki Loves Africa and the Africa Environment WikiFocus.
The best video and the best photo essay are the two Wiki Loves Africa media categories that the Africa Environment WikiFocus has sponsored as the best representations of the effects of climate change.
As a vital component of the African Knowledge Initiative (AKI) series of campaigns, Wiki In Africa (WIA) and Wikimedia Community User Group Côte d’Ivoire (WMUG IC) have developed and launched the WikiFocus project.
The African Union, Wikimedia Foundation, and Africa No Filter all support the African Knowledge Initiative. The African Environment WikiFocus is a WikiFocus for content creation and contributions that was introduced on Wangari Maathai Day of the African Union (3rd March).