The 20th edition of Wikimania, the annual global gathering celebrating Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, concluded in Nairobi after four days of high-level discussions, intergenerational collaboration, and milestone celebrations. Held from August 6 to 9, the event marked the first time East Africa hosted the flagship conference.
This year’s Wikimania drew over 2,300 participants — 776 in person and more than 1,600 online — from across the globe. Nearly half of the attendees (48%) were under 34, underscoring the role of young people in sustaining the world’s largest free knowledge resource.
With nearly 300,000 volunteers contributing to Wikimedia projects viewed over 22 billion times monthly, the event highlighted the power of open collaboration in producing reliable, neutral, and fact-based information in more than 300 languages. Wikipedia alone is maintained by some 260,000 editors each month.
Themed “Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability.”, this year’s programme featured technology showcases, community governance strategies, and discussions on the future of open-source knowledge. Key moments included:
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Wikimedian of the Year Awards: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales honoured eight volunteers for outstanding contributions.
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AI and the Future of Knowledge: A keynote panel featuring African tech leaders Dr. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende and Prof. Vukosi Marivate examined how Wikimedia projects can integrate AI while safeguarding core principles of neutrality and reliability.
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Language Preservation and Global Access: Sessions explored efforts to preserve indigenous languages, partnerships with the UN, and collaborations with libraries worldwide.
“Wikimania is a celebration of 20 years of collaboration and the incredible contributions that have made our movement strong and successful,” said Maryana Iskander, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. “As we look ahead to Wikipedia’s 25th birthday, the question for all of us is what the next generation needs, and how we will build on the success of the past quarter century.”
The conference also underscored East Africa’s growing influence in open-source knowledge production, with regional volunteers playing a central role in shaping Wikimedia’s future.
Wikimania 2026 will be held in Paris, France, coinciding with Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, and is set to take place in a hybrid format.
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