African women’s stories matter, yet too often, their achievements are missing from the world’s most widely used knowledge platforms. Many remarkable contributions go undocumented, not because they don’t exist, but because they haven’t been recorded or shared in ways that everyone can access.
To change this, in 2025, members of the Wiki Loves Women Focus Group launched a new campaign: Wiki Àrà-Ọ̀tọ̀ — “Àrà-Ọ̀tọ̀” means “unique” in Yoruba.
A Campaign That Combines Learning and Impact!
Wiki Àrà-Ọ̀tọ̀ is part of the Focus Group’s learning-by-practicing approach, which gives members hands-on experience while contributing to real-world projects. The campaign is designed to address the lack of information about African women by inviting people from around the world to:
- Create new profiles about African women whose achievements are not yet documented.
- Enhance existing profiles with additional details and context to better reflect their contributions.
- Add structured information on Wikidata, a free global database that stores information in a way that can be used by websites, apps, and researchers worldwide. This makes African women’s achievements visible, searchable, and recognized globally.
This is more than a campaign, it’s a global learning experience, empowering participants to gain skills while helping ensure African women’s contributions are recorded and shared for everyone.
How the Campaign Works?
Throughout the year, participants are encouraged to celebrate and document the richness and uniqueness of African women. Every two months, the Focus Group announces a new theme, highlighting different areas of contribution — from science and politics to arts, culture, and activism.
By focusing on structured, reusable information, the campaign ensures that African women’s achievements are not only recorded but also integrated into the wider digital knowledge ecosystem, powering apps, websites, and tools that rely on Wikidata.
>>> Read more about the Wiki OTO here.