Members of the Kenyan Wikimedia Usergroup Kenya at the event in Nairobi.
The Wikimania 2025, the 20th edition of the flagship annual conference that celebrates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, and the global community of volunteers (Wikimedians) who make it possible, has kicked off in Nairobi.
The event brings together more than 1,000 Wikimedians (in-person and online) and leaders in the digital space from more than 120 countries.
It is hosted by the Wikimedians of Kenya User Group; the East African Regional and Thematic Hub (EARTHub); and the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects.
Nearly 300,000 volunteers are behind creating the information on Wikimedia projects, which are viewed more than 22 billion times every month. Through a process of open collaboration, these volunteers help to power the backbone of knowledge on the internet with reliable information for all. Wikipedia alone is edited in over 300 languages by nearly 260,000 volunteers every month around the world.
Together, they compile and share information on notable subjects, according to editorial policies and guidelines that ensure knowledge remains neutral, reliable, and fact-based. Volunteers discuss, debate, and often disagree until a shared consensus can be reached on what content to include. This process is done entirely out in the open for all to see. The Wikimedia projects demonstrate how hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life can effectively reach consensus based on facts.
The theme of Wikimania 2025 is "Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability.", bringing attention to the need to ensure a sustainable future for Wikimedia projects and the volunteers and efforts that make them possible.
The event is also available to watch live on virtual streaming platforms.
“Wikimania is a window into our global Wikimedia community. This conference is a celebration of the people, from every corner of the world, who contribute their time, passion, and skills to share knowledge,” said Maryana Iskander, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. “Hosting Wikimania again on the African continent for its special 20 year anniversary is an acknowledgement of this region’s critical role in growing and shaping the Wikimedia projects for the future. As the next one billion people come online, it is more important than ever to expand Africa’s contributions to the global knowledge ecosystem through the Wikimedia projects.”
The event features workshops, edit-a-thons, policy discussions, keynotes, community meet-ups, and more.
