08-07, 10:30–10:55 (Poland), Lviv (21+22+23) (interpretation)
Language: English
Malaysia is home to over 100 indigenous languages, but most are either going extinct, or have gone extinct. With only three being taught in schools with an established curriculum, most of these languages are at the brink of being forever forgotten. To increase the amount of documentation on the language, Wikimedia Community user Group Malaysia has been leading a collaborative journey since 2023 along with multiple institutions and volunteers in preserving indigenous languages across Malaysia on Wiktionary, Lingua Libre, and Wikitongues, in hopes of saving the centuries-long heritage and wisdom.
Youtube: https://youtu.be/UNMNjKSIGc8?t=3337
WikiKata is a programme initiated by Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia in collaboration with International Islamic University Malaysia and National University Malaysia. The programme involves going down to indigenous communities, training them on basic usage of Wiktionary, and helping to guide them on using the platform. Participants involved include both old and young people who are knowledgeable in their mother tongue.
The session will share the experience of Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia in collaborating with strategic partners to realise the efforts of the programme. With the International Islamic University Malaysia providing the manpower of volunteers who are well-experienced in indigenous community engagement, as well as faculty members from their faculty of contemporary languages, the programme seeks not only to empower the indigenous communities to preserve their own tongue, but also hopefully revive the language from its dying stage.
WikiKata will hopefully set a model for other affiliates in language preservation methods, especially when it comes to communities with less exposure to technology or the internet. In this session, we will not only share what we’ve been doing the past two years, but also the strategies involved in finding the right strategic partners, and making use of existing efforts in empowering both the target community and also the workforce itself.
Session recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNMNjKSIGc8&list=PLhV3K_DS5YfL7A2HXrpt8ZgnWlGjp0vIP&index=9&t=3339s
WikiKata is a collaborative effort between multiple institutions. While Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia provides the expertise and training for the open platforms being used such as Wiktionary, the International Islamic University Malaysia provides their volunteer students from three student clubs with over 20 years of experience engaging in indigenous communities, even with the support of their alumni. The university's focus on voluntary community engagement as part of social responsibility also fits well with the concept of open and free knowledge, where their purpose is to conduct voluntary works for the benefit of the society, especially within the indigenous communities. The National University Malaysia also helps out to connect with the indigenous communities, while we also receive collaboration from BERNAMA (the Malaysian national news agency) who help with the publication for advocacy and awareness on the endangered state of indigenous languages in Malaysia. With help from multiple other parties throughout the series of the programme, the session aims to provide an insight on methods in collaborative work in achieving the goal of open knowledge.
What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?* –Everyone can participate in this session
How do you plan to deliver this session?* –Onsite in Katowice
What other themes or topics does your session fit into? Please choose from the list of tags below. –Storytelling
Ahmad Ali Karim is an author, student, and the External Relations Ambassador for Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia (WCUGM) with over 4 years of experience in the Wikimedia Movement. He is currently a second-year undergraduate student majoring in political science and minoring in laws at International Islamic University Malaysia, and a weekly columnist on the oldest-surviving Malay newspaper, Utusan Malaysia. With experience in programme managemment and training, he often conducts programmes for WCUGM, and also does vector graphics on the side for Wikimedia Commons, his CUG, and as a side hustle. While also serving as the RCE Youth Coordinator for Regional Centre of Expertise Greater Gombak, he is active in youth empowerment efforts both locally and globally, never forgetting to bring the Wikimedia movement and spirit wherever he goes.
Wikimedian and teacher from Sabah, Borneo Malaysia. Mainly focused on preserving ethnic languages and cultures in Malaysia through Wiktionary and other projects. Started editing since 2013 in secondary school and currently trying to establish a wiki club in the school I am teaching. Wikimedian of the Year 2023 and also a member of Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia.