WikiAfrica Hour's Wikimania Morning Briefings.
Speakers
Isla studied fine art at university and is completing her Master's in African Studies and Media at the University of Cape Town. The common thread woven through her professional life is a single-minded dedication to showcasing the creative voices of Africa’s artists, filmmakers, broadcasters, photographers, poets, writers, and musicians. In 2011, her increasing investment in Africa’s creative and cultural voice and her curiosity about the open movement coincided with working on the WikiAfrica project and joining as a Wikimedian. In 2016, with Florence Devouard and Iolanda Pensa, she formalised these projects under the Wiki In Africa banner. It has been an incredible ride ever since then. Isla also works as the Communications Director for Open Education Global (OEGlobal).
Abstract
Wiki In Africa would like to submit WikiAfrica Hour's Wikimania Morning Briefings as part of the official programming at Wikimania 2026 in Paris. The monthly vodcast, WikiAfrica Hour, will host a series of daily special morning segments titled WikiAfrica Hour's Wikimania Morning Briefings. These 30-minute livestreamed sessions will take place each morning of the conference from the conference venue from 09:00 to 09:30 Paris time.
The Morning Briefings aim to connect the onsite and online audiences through their dynamic, engaging format. Each day will feature live interviews with Wikimania organizers, program speakers, conference delegates, and other special guests. The conversations will highlight the key events, themes, and sessions of the day, and will also share insights from the previous day’s activities.
Broadcast via StreamYard and livestreamed to YouTube, these briefings create an exciting, interactive space to inspire engagement and answer community questions. This would be the second iteration of the WikiAfrica Hour Morning Briefings, launched at Wikimania Nairobi in 2025. View them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THHF4QLf040&list=PLvyE0yEt-BKiT7RQimn1xNZc45JFzfhjZ
Additional information
Through its Wikimania Morning Briefings, WikiAfrica Hour aims to bridge the participation gap between those who can attend Wikimania Paris in person and those who cannot, for whatever reason, allowing each viewer the freedom to participate and the equity to access Wikimania on their own terms. We know that only so many people can attend Wikimania in person; this is one way to bring the Wikimania experience to life for those who can't make it. WikiAfrica Hour's historic audience is rooted in Africa, and its mission serves Wikimedians worldwide. Hearing about the Wikimania experience live from those attending and discussing important Wikimedia-focused topics is one way to reliably transmit ideas and news to the global community.
WikiAfrica Hour is pitched to bring the Wikimedia world into the real world. It gives people with vastly different experiences a glimpse of the topics, concerns, and activities of the Wikimedia movement via international platforms such as YouTube. The main audience for the WikiAfrica Hour Wikimania Morning Briefings is Wikimedians who will not be at Wikimania and still wish to capture the atmosphere and knowledge.
Everyone can participate in this session