WikiConference India 2023: A Platform for Learning, Collaboration, and Growth in South Asia’s Wikimedia Communities

Hyderabad, 2nd May 2023: WikiConference India 2023 (WCI 2023) took place in Hyderabad from April 28-30, 2023, bringing together nearly 200 people from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to explore ways to increase access and sharing of Indian history, culture, and experiences on free knowledge projects worldwide.

The conference aimed to strengthen bonds within Wikimedia’s open-source communities and promote cross-learning, creating opportunities for collective success.

Wikipedia is the world’s largest online encyclopedia and a popular website, with volunteers from India contributing significantly to the platform. Indian volunteers contribute to 24 of the languages spoken across India, as well as to other Wikimedia projects such as Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource, and Wikidata. Readers in India visit Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects more than 797 million times each month, making it the fifth-highest number of views from any country.

According to Lisa Seitz-Gruwell, Chief Advancement Officer and Deputy to the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, India continues to be a key region of expansion for Wikimedia’s knowledge communities, with a growing number of volunteer contributors and enormous potential to expand their reader base in the country. WCI 2023 celebrated local communities and their achievements in increasing access to free knowledge across languages.

WCI 2023 offered a common platform for Wikimedians (volunteer contributors and Wikimedia Foundation staff members), invitees, and stakeholders interested in Indic-language Wikimedia projects and other aspects of the movement in India and South Asia. The conference provided a space for connecting, sharing stories, learnings, best practices, and challenges, and discussing the future strategy for the region. As one of the first volunteer-focused gatherings since the pandemic, the conference was an important step towards community growth and engagement.

Participants attended panel discussions, workshops, project showcases, and learning sessions on technology, sustainability of open-source communities, and knowledge-building through collaborative tools and projects. The conference also brought the opportunity for Wikimedians to talk about the future of the Wikimedia free knowledge mission and their strategy for the region in the coming years.

Nitesh Gill, Lead Volunteer Coordinator for WikiConference India, said that the conference stands as a testament to the power of leadership and community collaboration in advancing knowledge-sharing and creating a more informed society. Through trust-building and language diversity, the conference has become a vital platform for community members to connect, collaborate and contribute to the growth of Wikimedia’s global communities.

The event was co-organized with a local partner, IIIT Hyderabad, and was supported by the Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana. The government department arranged a cultural dance show and excursion tour to present local dance and art forms for the attendees.