ELF, Wikimedians celebrate Ramadan with special edit-a-thon

DUBAI: Emirates Literature Foundation and the Wikimedians of the UAE User Group are organising the second edition of the Ramadan edit-a-thon.

The group editing workshop aims to enrich Wikipedia with Arabic and English articles that highlight key aspects of Ramadan traditions in the Arab world.

The event, open to public, will be held on April 13 at the Mist Dxb in Business Bay in Dubai from 9:30-11:30pm. Prior registration via the website is required.

Participants are encouraged to use the resources on the website to get started as Wikipedia editors. They will also have the opportunity to learn platform best practices and tips and tricks from experts in the field, as well as collaborate with them to create and edit articles with detailed information about fasting, prayers, charity, and other religious and cultural traditions.

All editors are encouraged to contribute more information about common Arabic traditions and customs observed during the holy month to the online encyclopaedia.

In respect for the Ramadan values of community and sharing, attendees can enjoy free refreshments during the edit-a-thon followed by Suhoor.

“Connections, collaboration, and interdependence are at the heart of Ramadan, and there is no better time to bring people together and encourage a sense of community in efforts to achieve our common goal of improving and enriching Arabic digital content, preserving the culture, customs, and traditions of the region, and showcasing its legacy to the world through the most popular online encyclopaedia,” Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of Emirates Literature Foundation and Leader of Wikimedians of the UAE User Group, said.

“We also hope that these workshops will contribute to the formation of a creative and inclusive space in which all segments of society from diverse cultural backgrounds can learn from one another and create digital content that reflects the UAE’s culture of tolerance and coexistence.”

Interested participants must register on this website, create Wikipedia accounts, and bring their own laptops or tablets to the event. Participants will receive a certificate of appreciation by email after the event.

In the inaugural Ramadan edit-a-thon held in 2022, the article ‘Ramadan in the UAE’ was created on Wikipedia that covered important aspects of Emirati culture such as Haq al-Layla, sighting the crescent, Iftar, worship, charity tents, family gatherings, and other Ramadan rituals and traditions. The article has more than 1,230 views so far.

Since the Emirates Literature Foundation launched the Kateb Maktub initiative, it has successfully increased the number of pages of Arab authors on Wikipedia, in both Arabic and English, by more than 500 percent. These unprecedented results and the support of a large number of keen volunteers led to the team’s takeover of the Wikimedians of UAE User Group in an official capacity.