A year-long cultural exchange between Wikimedians from Peru and Malaysia, sparked at Wikimania 2025 in Nairobi, has demonstrated the power of curiosity-driven collaboration within the Wikimedia movement. Authors Guillermo Carlos Gomezand and Rombituon embarked on an informal digital exploration of each other's heritage through Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, exchanging knowledge on geographical landmarks like Mount Kinabalu and the Huaytapallana glacier, diverse flora such as the Rafflesia and Cantuta, and traditional musical instruments. This cross-cultural dialogue not only deepened their appreciation for their respective homelands but also culminated in a reunion at Wikimania 2026 in Paris, underscoring how simple inquiries about one's cultural identity can organically evolve into meaningful international partnerships and strengthen global Wikimedia communities.

​The 2026 Wikimania conference in Paris brought together over 3,000 global participants—comprising 1,200 in-person and nearly 2,000 online attendees—to celebrate the Wikimedia movement and address the evolving digital landscape. The pre-conference events highlighted the contributions of Users with Extended Rights, featuring a unique, ceremonial "knighting" of a new Administrator using the group's mascot, Moppy. As the main sessions commenced, a central focus was the rise of Artificial Intelligence as a primary web interface; speakers emphasized that the proliferation of AI-generated content makes Wikimedia’s human-driven accuracy, verifiability, and rigorous debate more essential than ever. The opening ceremony, which featured a special greeting from a French astronaut aboard the International Space Station, culminated in the Wikimedian of the Year awards. French Wikipedia editor Jules Xénard, known as Jules*, was named the 2026 Wikimedian of the Year for his extensive efforts in maintaining the encyclopedia's integrity and reliability, alongside other notable honorees including Mari Avetisyan, Dreamyshade, Barkeep49, Chlod, and Hijiri.

​Wikimedia contributors Wiki Asmah and Raflinoer32 recently shared their transformative experiences at the ESEAP Conference 2026 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, emphasizing their active roles in advancing youth leadership and regional community projects. Wiki Asmah championed gender representation and youth empowerment, notably spearheading discussions during the inaugural launch of the official ESEAP Youth Group and advocating for sustainable student engagement through Wiki Clubs—initiatives she intends to cross-pollinate globally with the CEE Youth Group. Meanwhile, Raflinoer32 presented community-driven initiatives such as the Wikibooks culinary project WikiCitaRasa and the botanical documentation effort WikiTutuwuhan, while also engaging in public policy advocacy and serving as a Social Media Ambassador. Building on the momentum of the conference, Raflinoer32 has further solidified his commitment to the movement by being elected as the ESEAP Community Connector for Cycle 2, where he aims to amplify the voices of Indonesian local communities and youth within the broader Wikimedia ecosystem.

In an effort to address the lack of photographic documentation of Klang's historic architecture on Wikipedia, Wikimedia organized "WikiSua @ Klang," a collaborative photowalk co-hosted with the Historical Reenactment Society (Persatuan Reka Ulang Sejarah) during the Awal Muharram holiday. Kicking off at the World War II-era Cathay Hailam Kopitiam, volunteers set out to digitally preserve local heritage sites for Wikimedia Commons, prioritizing landmarks such as SK Klang, Malaysia's very first registered school. Although continuous rain throughout the day presented significant logistical challenges and limited the volume of photographs safely captured, the resilient volunteers successfully contributed new digital assets to the platform and are already planning future excursions under better weather conditions to complete their historical documentation of the city.

Three Malaysian delegates—Aeshah Karim, Rumandawii, and Faris—recently participated in the Wikimedia Regional Conference for East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ESEAP) 2026 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, returning with strategic insights to advance digital free knowledge initiatives. The conference underscored critical themes in cultural preservation and technological innovation, with Aeshah emphasizing the decolonization of species terminology and the necessity of improving national information literacy. Concurrently, Rumandawii, a Kadazandusun language educator, drew inspiration from youth-driven Wiki Clubs to outline plans for localized language-preservation workshops, while Faris successfully spotlighted the integration of sign language into Wikimedia projects and explored AI-driven data management through Wikidata. Ultimately, the international gathering highlighted the efficacy of regional collaboration, motivating the Malaysian representatives to leverage community engagement and emerging technologies to make open-source knowledge more accessible and inclusive.

Writer: Zahirul Nukman, Communications, Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia

PEKANBARU — Usaha memartabatkan khazanah warisan serumpun terus diperkukuh apabila Kumpulan Komuniti Pengguna Wikimedia Malaysia mengadakan kunjungan rasmi ke Pekanbaru, Sumatera baru-baru ini bagi menjayakan misi pendokumentasian bahasa dan budaya Melayu di ruang digital.

Program rentas negara yang bermula sekitar 17 Jun lalu itu menyaksikan pertukaran kepakaran dan pengalaman yang komprehensif antara penggiat bahasa dan budaya dari Malaysia dan Indonesia.

Pada hari pertama program yang berlangsung di Perpustakaan Soeman H.S., wakil delegasi Wikimedia Malaysia, Zahirul Nukman, telah diberi penghormatan untuk membentangkan perkongsian mengenai inisiatif pendigitalan negara. Sesi sarasehan bertajuk “Mendokumentasikan Budaya Melayu di Ruang Digital” ini mencipta sejarah tersendiri apabila beliau dapat berkongsi pentas bersama penggiat Wiktionary Indonesia dan wakil rasmi Balai Bahasa Provinsi Riau, disaksikan oleh barisan pensyarah, mahasiswa institusi pengajian tinggi tempatan, serta wakil perpustakaan.

Dalam forum yang sama, Widyabasa Ahli Muda, Yeni Maulina yang mewakili Balai Bahasa Provinsi Riau turut membentangkan kertas kerja memfokuskan kepada langkah proaktif agensi kerajaan dalam melindungi, membangunkan, dan merekodkan sastera serta budaya Melayu menerusi pemanfaatan platform teknologi.

Meneruskan momentum penyebaran ilmu, hari kedua kunjungan diisi dengan penganjuran Bengkel Wikimedia Bahasa Melayu. Sesi latihan interaktif ini bermatlamat untuk mendedahkan warga tempatan—terdiri daripada penjawat awam, ahli akademik, pelajar, dan orang awam—kepada penggunaan optimum laman-laman web Wikimedia yang berbahasa Melayu dan Indonesia.

Menyifatkan lawatan kerja ini sebagai satu pengalaman yang amat bermakna, Zahirul merakamkan rasa syukur atas pelbagai ilmu baharu yang diperoleh sepanjang penganjuran acara tersebut, meskipun ini merupakan kunjungan kedua beliau ke bandar raya berkenaan.

Sinergi yang terjalin ini diharapkan dapat membuahkan impak positif yang berpanjangan, sekali gus memperkukuh kolaborasi pelbagai pihak dalam memastikan warisan bahasa dan budaya Melayu kekal utuh, terpelihara, dan mudah diakses oleh generasi pendigitalan akan datang.