Decolonise The Internet Edit-A-Thon for Womxn!

During its inception, the internet was seen as a vital instrument for democracy and equality. In 2020, amidst a global pandemic and racial inequalities that are very much existing, it is time to ask: Whose stories are told and who is telling these stories on the internet? And how do Artificial Intelligence, Algorhythms and Bots shape our view of the world and perpetuate racisms? This is where the new Goethe-Institut project “Decolonise The Internet” sees its core. As a kick-off, we are organizing an Edit-A-Thon to open up the world of Wikipedia to Womxn from Africa! Studies have shown that most of the articles on the Wikipedia are written from Europe and the US – and articles written from Africa are mainly written by men. Therefore, the aim is to encourage African Womxn to learn about Wikipedia and to take up the important task of adding knowledge to the world’s largest online reference that are relevant to them. This will increase visibility and representation of topics which are important to both Womxn and Africans. We particularly encourage you to write in local languages apart from English to increase the amount of articles found in these languages! So if you want to learn how to write, edit and publish articles on the Wikipedia, then this is for you. All you need is access to a computer and a stable internet connection and you are ready to go! The Edit-A-Thon will take place on 20 June, 27 June and 4 July. To register, please send an email to Stefanie.Kastner@goethe.de and we will supply you with more information. We plan to host an editing and translation competition with great prizes after this Edit-A-Thon, so you don’t want to miss out on learning the first steps. Let’s work together on making the internet a more equal place! The Goethe-Institut’s new programme “Decolonise the Internet” focuses on bridging the unequal representation of voices from the Global South on the internet and aims to increase awareness on how AI and algorhythms might perpetuate racisms. The projects takes place in ten different countries in sub- Saharan Africa and has different formats, such as edit-a-thons, podcasts and texts. In South Africa, the Goethe-Instiut has partnered with the WikimediaZA Foundation and Whose Knowledge. *Cited Study: http://geonet.oii.ox.ac.uk/blog/new-publication-digital-divisions-of- labor-and-informational-magnetism-mapping-participation-in-wikipedia/goethe.de