Workshop participants. Photo by the author. Used with permission

On May 31, 2025, Wikiteny, a joint workshop of the Wikimedia Madagascar user community and Global Voices Madagascar, took place in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The Wikimedia Foundation’s Knowledge Equity Fund, which supports projects promoting the equity of knowledge across the world, provided the necessary financial backing.

This gathering was part of a month-long celebration of the Malagasy language, an event taking place in June each year. Around 30 million people speak this language, which is Madagascar’s national language.

A workshop to showcase Malagasy

The workshop’s main objective was to promote Malagasy and raise awareness about Madagascar and its culture through the digital world. The initiative focused on the use of Wikimedia as a platform for expression, and Global Voices’ articles as reliable sources to enhance the quality of content in this language.

Participants are hard at work, focusing on their contributions. Image courtesy of the author, used with permission

A committed involvement

The workshop was attended by twenty-four participants representing students, citizens, bloggers, and Malagasy enthusiasts. The atmosphere was both studious and relaxed. Participants expressed their satisfaction and eagerness to continue writing Malagasy articles for Wikimedia projects.

Maminirina, a second-year university student in Malagasy, explains:

J’ai toujours voulu écrire en malgache, mais je ne savais pas par où commencer. Grâce à cet atelier, j’ai découvert Wikipédia comme un espace libre et accessible pour partager nos connaissances. C’est motivant de savoir que ce que j’écris peut être utile à d’autres.

I have always wanted to write in Malagasy but I did not know where to start. This workshop introduced me to Wikimedia, a platform that offers free and open access to knowledge. It’s truly inspiring to think that my content might be useful to others.

Ny Avotiana Gael, one of the students, expresses his excitement about his experience in the project:

Je suis très satisfait de cet atelier. Je ne savais pas que contribuer sur internet dans ma langue était possible et aussi utile. Maintenant je veux écrire davantage pour montrer la richesse de notre culture.

I am delighted with this workshop. I didn’t know it was possible or useful to contribute online in my native language. Now, I want to write more about our rich culture.

In this other video, Rohy Ramasinatrehana, another participant, talks about his commitment to promoting Malagasy on the internet and how this explains his decision to participate. He reckons that no one has officially accepted this responsibility. The following video is published with his permission.

A contest to encourage contributions

The workshop also signalled the launch of a contest for writing, revising, and improving articles, a true edit-a-thon, to take place during the whole of June on Wikimedia. The contestants are encouraged to write, revise, and improve as many articles as possible in Malagasy, thereby enhancing the presence of the language in the digital sphere.

At the end of the month, the three most active and dedicated contributors who will have produced the most articles will receive French-Malagasy dictionaries as a prize.

The event was honoured by the presence of Nalisoa Ravalitera, an academician, poet, and iconic figure for the promotion of Malagasy, among other speakers.

Jean Rabenalisoa Ravalitera, President of the Sciences, Art and Literature Division of the Malagasy Academy. Photo by the author.

A decentralized event

To allow for wider participation, the Wikiteny workshop was not limited to a single location. It was held concurrently in four regions of Madagascar: in the Analamanga region (in the capital, Antananarivo), in Matsiatra Ambrony (a region in the southeast), in Boeny (in the city of Mahajanga, a port city on the northwest coast), and in the Diana region (in the north). This decentralized approach encouraged better regional community involvement in promoting Malagasy online and allowed for the gathering of a wider diversity of opinions and contributions.

The Wikiteny workshop stands as a genuine effort to honor Malagasy and collectively ensure its place in the global digital landscape. The creation of content in Malagasy on open platforms like Wikipedia and Global Voices helps preserve linguistic heritage, which can then be passed down to future generations.

In an increasingly connected world, where English accounts for 60 percent of all websites and dominates the digital space, preserving linguistic diversity, including online, remains crucial.