Dear Anass and colleagues,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
It is also my first time seeing the email, and although this must come as
good news, but it makes me sad that Maciej chose to send this message to
the mailing list: wiscom(a)lists.wikimedia.org instead of contacting us
directly - our names are there under "Current Committee". It is a
well-known fact that you will get very slow response or no response at all
if you contact WMF via info(a)wikimedia.org or any other info(a)domain.org.
To put this into perspective, last week I sent a message on behalf of
WISCom expressing our concern about the possible high number of Wikimania
Scholarship Recipients from Africa who will be denied polish visas. Instead
of using the official E-mail: kontakt(a)wikimedia.pl, from the Polish UG
website <https://wikimedia.pl/kontakt/>, I sent the message directly to
Maciej copying Käbi Laan and Wojciech Pędzich as well as all members of
WISCom which means that he has our contact details but he never responded
to our message.
I know from experience organising Wikimania South Africa in 2018 that the
core team is probably busy dealing with thousands of messages but making a
small effort to respond to our email (even if it’s a one liner: hey I’m
busy colleagues, will respond later), shows that you care, and are not
doing this as a checklist exercise to not lose face of the "African WISCom
group". It also makes us feel valued and heard as a group.
Without ranting any further, please add my name there. I'm the lead
organiser of the WikiIndaba conference this year and I also sit at WISCom.
Best regards,
Bobby Shabangu
On Sun, 3 Mar 2024 at 23:21, Anass Sedrati <sedranas(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Maciej and thank you for your answer,
>
> I am adding the WISCOM chair, Bobby Shabangu to this exchange, in case he
> can see this email. Please Bobby, can you please check the email from
> Maciej and take action on it if possible today?
>
> If not, we will proceed with the suggested method from Maciej, and the
> Wikimedia Morocco user group can choose one delegate by 5 March (@Maciej -
> We are fine with that date and can commit to make the choice by then if
> needed).
>
> Thank you all for your kind support, and have a good evening, and a great
> start of your week!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Anass
>
> On Sun, Mar 3, 2024 at 12:26 PM Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz <
> macieknadzikiewicz(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear Anass,
>>
>> thank you for your e-mail.
>>
>> Until today, we have not received an answer from WISCOM (with this e-mail
>> being the official contact – here
>> <https://streaklinks.com/B4A3olRfX2VtElVbVAnyHPJc/https%3A%2F%2Fmeta.wikimed…>
>> ).
>>
>> If we do not receive information by today's end (let's say midnight UTC
>> today), we will ask the Wikimedia Morocco User group, as organizers of
>> Wikiindaba 2023, to delegate the representative. Could we ask that you
>> decide by 5 March? We are moving forward with the logistics of all the
>> scholars.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> --
>>
>>
>> Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz (He/him)
>>
>> Wikimania 2024 Poland – Team Lead
>>
>> Wikimedia Europe Board Member
>>
>> Wikipedia Administrator
>>
>> User:Nadzik <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nadzik>
>>
>> ᐧ
>>
>> śr., 28 lut 2024 o 15:55 Anass Sedrati <sedranas(a)gmail.com> napisał(a):
>>
>>> Hello Maciej and thank you for your email,
>>>
>>> I was not aware about this information as I am not a WISCOM member and
>>> did not receive the first email. The first time I am hearing about this
>>> information is now!
>>>
>>> I am not sure who should take this decision. We as Wikimedia Morocco
>>> User group organized Wiki Indaba 2023, but the email was sent to the
>>> WISCOM. If you want the WISCOM to decide, maybe we can wait for them to
>>> answer, but it will be a pity not having Wiki Indaba onboard if there is no
>>> answer from them. If you want the decision by the Moroccan team as former
>>> local organizers, just let us know and we can discuss internally. Please
>>> advise what you want, and we will act accordingly. Thank you very much!
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>>
>>> Anass
>>>
>>> On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 3:06 PM Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz <
>>> macieknadzikiewicz(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello!
>>>>
>>>> I would like to remind you about your availability for a *scholarship
>>>> seat for Wikimania 2024*.
>>>>
>>>> Please reach out to us *before the end of the week*.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz (He/him)
>>>>
>>>> Wikimania 2024 Poland – Team Lead
>>>>
>>>> Wikimedia Europe Board Member
>>>>
>>>> Wikipedia Administrator
>>>>
>>>> User:Nadzik <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nadzik>
>>>>
>>>> ᐧ
>>>>
>>>> śr., 14 lut 2024 o 11:43 Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz <
>>>> macieknadzikiewicz(a)gmail.com> napisał(a):
>>>>
>>>>> Dear Wiki Indaba Steering Committee,
>>>>>
>>>>> it is my pleasure to inform you that the *Core Organizing Team has
>>>>> decided to award the Wiki Indaba team with 1 spot for the Wikimania
>>>>> scholarship*. This is a new process introduced for Wikimania 2024 and announced
>>>>> previously
>>>>> <https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2024:Scholarships#Who_can_apply?>
>>>>> .
>>>>>
>>>>> In the coming days, we will announce the scholarship decisions. Please
>>>>> take them under consideration, so there is no "double booking". *Please
>>>>> decide on your representative by the end of February and inform us back*.
>>>>> If you are not interested in this process, the seat will go back to the
>>>>> relevant region and community members from it will be chosen instead.
>>>>>
>>>>> We know that your representative will add many benefits to the event
>>>>> and all other participants. Please stay in contact with *Gisca
>>>>> Syalindri <gsyalindri-ctr(a)wikimedia.org <gsyalindri-ctr(a)wikimedia.org>>*,
>>>>> who will be assisting the scholars with all of the logistics. P.S. Your
>>>>> representative will still need to pass Trust & Safety checks.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Maciej Artur Nadzikiewicz (He/him)
>>>>>
>>>>> Wikimania 2024 Poland – Team Lead
>>>>>
>>>>> Wikimedia Europe Board Member
>>>>>
>>>>> Wikipedia Administrator
>>>>>
>>>>> User:Nadzik <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nadzik>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> -----------------------------------------------------
>>> *Anass SEDRATI*
>>> *(+46) 70 508 51 07*
>>>
>>>
>
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------
> *Anass SEDRATI*
> *(+46) 70 508 51 07*
>
>
Hello Dumi,
I am writing to confirm that Jael Boateng is the representative of OFWA for
WISCOM.
She was selected by a board’s unanimous decision.
Raphael
On behalf of OFWA Board.
On Mon, Jan 29, 2024 at 1:59 PM Dumisani Ndubane <ndubaneds(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> Good day colleagues
>
> Please confirm no later than the 15 February 2024, that you are still the
> representative for your country's permanent seat at the WISCom. If this is
> no longer true, please provide names and contact details of the new
> representative for your affiliate.
>
> Please note that confirmation means pointing me to a public page, or
> providing me with a copy of an internal resolution of your governing body,
> electing you or another to the seat.
>
> Kindest Regards,
> _______________________________________
> *Dumisani Ndubane* ( Pr. Techni - Elec - UNISA )
> (+27) 061 497 5507
>
Dear Dumisani,
I want to confirm that I am still the representative of Wikimedia User
Group Nigeria
Thank you.
Isaac
On Mon, 29 Jan 2024, 20:59 Dumisani Ndubane, <ndubaneds(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Good day colleagues
>
> Please confirm no later than the 15 February 2024, that you are still the
> representative for your country's permanent seat at the WISCom. If this is
> no longer true, please provide names and contact details of the new
> representative for your affiliate.
>
> Please note that confirmation means pointing me to a public page, or
> providing me with a copy of an internal resolution of your governing body,
> electing you or another to the seat.
>
> Kindest Regards,
> _______________________________________
> *Dumisani Ndubane* ( Pr. Techni - Elec - UNISA )
> (+27) 061 497 5507
>
Dear Afrika Baraza Organizing Team,I hope this message finds you in great
spirits. On behalf of Code for Africa (CfA)
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_for_Africa#:~:text=Code%20for%20Africa%2….>
and
its WiR Anglophone and Francophone community
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Code_for_Africa%E2%80%99s_Wikipedian_in_Res…>
I
am excited to extend a warm invitation to you as Speakers for our upcoming
Code for Africa WIR December online Conference for the Anglophone and
Francophone community.*The event, themed "Advancing the Africa Agenda among
African Wikimedia Communities" is scheduled for December 5th & 6th, 2023 to
be held Online from 2:00pm - 3:30pm UTC.*
- *WIR Anglophone Conference- 5th December 2023*
- *WIR Francophone Conference- 6th December 2023 1:00 pm UTC - 2:30pmUTC*
*Agenda Highlights:*
During this online conference, our central focus of discussions will be on
advancing the Africa Agenda,
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MlIL4u75GqRPrVuB2hPdb43UuyHbysDQ6XYKqFs…>understanding
its core objectives, and charting practical steps to contribute
meaningfully to its goals. We will explore the community landscape,
Challenges, Needs, & Proposed Solutions
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MlIL4u75GqRPrVuB2hPdb43UuyHbysDQ6XYKqFs…>
.*RSVP:* Kindly confirm your participation by *18th November* to help us
make necessary arrangements. Upon your acceptance, we will follow up with a
detailed session plan for speakers.*Additional Information: *We kindly
request that your Organization's logo and your photo be attached to your
acceptance email. These visuals will be essential for our amplification
plan and ensuring proper recognition of all participating organizations and
individuals.Your insights and expertise would be invaluable, and your
participation will greatly enrich our discussions. We believe that
together, we can explore innovative approaches, share experiences, and
strengthen our collective efforts towards empowering Wikimedia communities
in Africa and advancing the Africa Agenda.If you have any questions or
require additional information, please feel free to contact us. We look
forward to your presence at the conference and the collaborative success it
promises.Warm regards,
Bukola James <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Bukky658>
Community Coordinator,
Code for Africa <http://codeforafrica.org/> (Knowledge Team/ WiRs
Initiatives)
Hello Morocco Team!
It is still not clear how many people are scoring proposals. How many
reviewers are scoring proposals?
I note that I am the only one listed on the scoring sheet sent to me.
In order to promote transparency and accountability, we do need to have all
the reviewers listed and create a column for each reviewer on the scoring
sheet.
I also believe that we ought to meet at least once to discuss the
modalities for scoring and agree together on the deadline for completing
scoring.
I have served on numerous scholarship committees, including Wikimania and
CC Summit, and chaired scholarship committees for at least two Wiki Indaba,
but I haven't seen it done this way.
Is there something I am missing? Please let me know.
Thank you.
Isaac
On Mon, 10 Jul 2023, 04:42 Wikimedia Morocco, <contact(a)wikimorocco.org>
wrote:
> Hello Isaac,
> We hope you are fine.
>
> Kindly find attached the evaluation sheet for applicants
> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QeJgytye7MiEoJay5jBJQqHMdqMjnCZdPfb…>
> as well as the evaluation rubric
> <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g_b2BXiC9xF4D9YUHuGHP0DqvgKLrAGdCKTgAsP…>
> . Once completed by July 23, we will call for a meeting for collective
> deliberation and discussion.
>
> Thank you, we remain at your disposal if needed.
>
> Best regards,
> 2023 WikiIndaba Organizing Team
>
Thanks Gameli.
On Wed, 22 Feb 2023 at 11:31, Gameli Kuffuor Kofi-Bediako <
gkbediako(a)ofwafrica.org> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I am Gameli and I shall be representing Raphael. It's a pleasure to be
> here.
>
> Best regards
>
> On Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 9:52 PM Bobby Shabangu <bobbyshabangu(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for letting us know Raphael.
>>
>> Best,
>> Bobby Shabangu
>>
>> On Tue, 21 Feb 2023 at 23:48, Raphael Berchie <rberchie(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I will be away for a period of 10 weeks working on a humanitarian
>>> project in a remote location. In view of this I will not have good access
>>> to internet.
>>>
>>> Gameli Bediako the Administrative Executive of OFWA will however stand
>>> in for me for the time being to prevent any hiatus that may happen as
>>> result of my absence.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
Dear all,
I would like us to add an agenda item in today’s meeting where we talk
about Raphael’s challenging situation in joining WISCom meetings and how do
we move forward in this regard.
See you later today.
Best regards,
Bobby Shabangu
Hello all,
I will be away for a period of 10 weeks working on a humanitarian project in a remote location. In view of this I will not have good access to internet.
Gameli Bediako the Administrative Executive of OFWA will however stand in for me for the time being to prevent any hiatus that may happen as result of my absence.
Regards
Sent from my iPhone
Hi Chen,
Thank you for providing us the extension, we have already reached out to UG
Morocco and have started working with them on the application. Should there
be pressing questions before 1st March we shall definitely reach out to
you.
Let me repeat this. I think we need to work on our communication Chen, and
I'm stressing the importance of this - Communication. The idea is for you
to support us, to me this means that there needs to be constant
communication between you and I - meaning you need to give us a nudge if
you see that the deadline is approaching and there is no application from
our end. I need to have you on my WhatsApp if needs be. WikiIndaba is a big
conference, and this means that all decisions that we are taking have a
huge impact both on the community and the Foundation. So you need to be
updated of every process leading to the application and the conference
itself so that both you and I have peace of mind that we are doing things
correctly in this ever changing Wiki environment.
I forgot to check the due date and you forgot to remind us or check upon
us. This back and forth of blame shifting won't help us, at worst it puts
us in a bad space and creates an environment of distrust. Because now I
have to prove to you that I actually told you that I can't access Doodle,
and I remember very well that I even said Doodle comes out as a spam page
from my end. And I also remember very well that I sent you a screen shot!
..... But where does that land us? How is it helping us or the situation we
are faced with right now? What I know is that it does not help African
volunteers like this newbie who penned this blog HERE
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/12/05/wiki-indaba-a-first-timers-experience/>
at
all.
Looking forward to working with you as we are preparing this conference.
Best,
Bobby Shabangu
On Tue, 21 Feb 2023 at 01:10, Chen Almog <calmog(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
> Hi Bobby,
>
> Il'l start from the end - As we do recognize the importance of this
> conference and we do want to support it (hence was my surprise by not
> receiving a proposal), I will allow an extension to the deadline. But it
> won't be very long as we depend on the Conference Committee review that
> will happen in less than 2 weeks and we have a very limited budget this
> year so we will not hold back other events in the movement to
> accommodate further extension. You can submit your proposal by Wednesday,
> March 1. And please mind that it means you will not have a revision period
> and it will go directly to the committee's review and final decision. So if
> you have any pressing questions or need to consult regarding the proposal
> please let me know immediately.
>
> As to the other points you have raised -
> I am sorry to hear that you were not aware of the submission deadline.
> Please mind that the deadline was published a year in advance for each
> round on the Conference meta page.
>
> In one of our last conversations I did offered my help to work with you on
> a set of selection criteria (those are not WMF criteria - it should be
> decided by wiscom) to optimize the process and to also align on the
> timelines for your announcements for the future hosts so we can make sure
> the chosen hosts are eligible for funding *before* the announcement, as a
> learning from last year premature announcement which, as you know,
> caused some challenges. I did ask to postpone the first meeting, but as you
> can see in the email you have attached, in the very last communication I
> sent you a Doodle link which is still active, inviting you to choose a
> suitable time for a meeting that you actually never answered to.
>
> So it might be a case of poor communication, but I urge you - the next
> time you require my help or advice, there is no need to wait 4 months if
> you feel like you can't get a hold of me regardless of the circumstances.
> Things happen, meetings get canceled sometimes, and even emails
> remain unanswered from time to time. But I don't see what it has to do with
> WISCom's ownership of the bidding process that you run every year and with
> missing the submission deadline. There are many channels of communication
> and more people you can reach out to if you need help in resolving an issue
> you are not certain about. Veronica for example (and also Dumisani as the
> WMF liaisons) already agreed in our last conversation with you a few months
> ago, to be the foundation representative for WISCom to complete this work
> on the bidding process.
>
> As to WikiIndaba 2023 and 2024 - I have received your other email
> regarding the future hosts and I would like to congratulate you and WISCom
> for this decision. I think that knowing and planning 2 years in advance is
> a great idea and can have a major impact on the success of the events and
> will definitely benefit the organizers.
> I have already asked the grant admin team to look into Wikimedia UG
> Morocco's eligibility and hope to have an answer soon (don't wait up, and
> start working on the proposal anyway. I will let you know when I have an
> answer). I had a great experience working with them on WikiArabia in the
> past and based on that, I have no doubt they will be a great organizing
> team.
>
> Looking Forward for your proposal,
>
> Chen
>
> On Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 10:48 PM Bobby Shabangu <bobbyshabangu(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear Chen,
>>
>>
>> It is with great shock to learn that we’ve missed the deadline on this.
>> And yes you are correct, we are about to announce the next host for 2023
>> and 2024 respectively.
>>
>>
>> We understand the importance of meeting the deadline and apologise
>> sincerely for this delay. I only learned today after reading your email
>> that the due date was actually last week - 6 February 2023 and went ahead
>> to inform Wiscom about this.
>>
>>
>> We really think there has been poor communication between yourself and
>> us, because the last time we spoke about the next host you informed us that
>> you would like to assist in selecting the next host for the conference and
>> speak about WMF's funding criteria. However, you kept on postponing and
>> that meeting never happened until we were a few days from WikiIndaba 2022
>> as can be seen in the email conversation attached. So although we were
>> waiting for you to come back to us, we also initiated the process to select
>> the new countries so that you could meet us halfway with the selection
>> process and talk further on the criteria.
>>
>>
>> We have finalised the process and are looking to bring the conference to
>> a Francophone speaking country for 2023. In fact, your email comes right
>> when we are about to send our choices to you (on a separate email) to
>> check for us with the Trust and Safety team if they both qualify to host
>> the conference. Here we want to further outline our selection process and
>> criterion which we feel was fair, transparent, inclusive and accountable.
>> Then sometime next week we make the announcement to the community at large.
>>
>>
>> Seeing that we are now faced with this situation, I’m requesting an
>> extension on the deadline, so that we find time to support the next country
>> to do the application thoroughly but speedily as well. WikiIndaba has
>> become an important platform for the African community, especially with our
>> rapidly growing community in which to share experiences, best practices,
>> and to identify ways in which we can work together to support and grow
>> African Wikimedia projects, so we can't afford to skip a year without
>> the conference.
>>
>>
>> Without getting this email too long, we are grateful for your
>> understanding and would appreciate it if you could grant us the extension.
>>
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Bobby Shabangu
>>
>> WISCom
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
>
> Chen Almog (she/her) · חן אלמוג
>
> Lead, Program Officer Conference & Event Fund
>
> Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Dear Chen,
I'm reaching out to you on behalf of the WikiIndaba Steering Committee
(WISCom) regarding the next WikiIndaba Conference host country for this
year 2023 and year 2024. After careful consideration we have decided that
WikiIndaba 2023 will take place in Agadir, Morocco on 3&4 November and
WikiIndaba 2024 will take place in Cape Town, South Africa on 1&2 November.
Going forward, we have adopted a system of selecting two host countries
which will cover two years of the conference. This will ease the burden and
save time of having to deliberate in a long selection process after each
conference. It will also give time for the next host to prepare themselves
for the conference. One needs to mention that this was advice from WMF’s
CEO.
In order to ensure that we have regional rotation, we were deliberate with
our selection process. We invited affiliates from Francophone speaking
countries including Algeria, Cameroon, Morocco, Congo, Benin, Mali and
Conakry Guinea to express interest in hosting the conference. This was
followed by a selection criterion which looked at several factors including
the capacity to host the conference, if there were elections this year in
the bidding country, capacity of the affiliate as well as motivations they
provided on why they wanted to host. We are happy to further meet with you
to discuss the bidding process and criterion we’ve used.
We believe that both countries offer the perfect environment to host the
Conference, and they both have the resources, infrastructure, and capacity
to make it a success. Although we have not officially announced this to the
wider community, we’ve already informed the hosts that they’ve won the
bids. We are confident that both countries will be able to provide the
necessary support and facilities for the event.
Despite all of these measures, we still want to find out from you if
Wikimedia UG Morocco is cleared or fit to receive funds from the Wikimedia
Foundation to run the conference for this year?
I’ve already addressed the issue of late submission on my other email and
again would like to sincerely apologise for this oversight from our end.
However, I would also like to reiterate that WikiINdaba is important
because it provides an invaluable platform for African Wikimedia
communities to come together and discuss projects, challenges and
opportunities for collaboration. By convening Wikimedians from across the
continent, WikiINdaba serves as a forum to identify potential new partners
and synergies and provides an opportunity to strengthen the African
Wikimedia community as well as ensures that the African Wikimedia movement
is well connected and informed. So, we can’t have the conference halted
this year because of poor communication between ourselves and you. Hence,
our request for an extension of the due date.
Kind regards,
Bobby Shabangu
WISCom