Building Botswana’s Digital Memory: The Limkokwing University School Adoption Program 2026

Building Botswana’s Digital Memory

The Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana, in partnership with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, successfully implemented the Limkokwing University School Adoption Program 2026.

The three-month programme, which ran from 28 February to 30 April 2026, empowered students with practical skills in Wikipedia and Wikidata editing while encouraging them to document Botswana’s creative and digital industries.

Under the theme:

“Botswana’s Creative and Digital Industries: Arts, Innovation, Culture, and Inclusion”

the programme created an opportunity for students to move beyond simply consuming information online and become active contributors to the global knowledge ecosystem.

Addressing Botswana’s Knowledge Gap

Botswana has a rich and diverse creative and digital landscape. From music, film, fashion, photography, and visual arts to technology, entrepreneurship, gaming, and cultural heritage, the country has many stories that deserve to be documented and shared.

However, many of these stories, individuals, institutions, and achievements remain underrepresented on global knowledge platforms.

The Limkokwing University School Adoption Program was designed to help address this gap by equipping students with the skills to research, verify information, and contribute high-quality content to Wikipedia and Wikidata.

Participants explored and documented topics related to:

• Visual and performing arts
• Fashion, design, and creative entrepreneurship
• Film, photography, and digital media
• Music and creative production
• Digital innovation, gaming, and technology
• Creative institutions, hubs, and cultural spaces
• Women and youth in creative and digital industries
• Indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage
• Campus creativity and student-led innovation

Learning Through Practical Contribution

The programme adopted a hands-on approach, combining training with practical contribution.

Students participated in physical and online training sessions, edit-a-thons, contribution sessions, office hours, and ongoing mentorship. These activities gave participants the opportunity to develop practical skills while making real contributions to Wikimedia projects.

Throughout the programme, participants learned how to:

• Create and improve Wikipedia articles
• Create and edit Wikidata items
• Research and identify reliable sources
• Add references and citations
• Understand the principles of neutrality and verifiability
• Contribute responsibly to open knowledge platforms

Through these activities, students developed valuable skills in research, writing, digital literacy, critical thinking, and collaborative knowledge creation.

Celebrating Student Contributions

The School Adoption Program demonstrated the important role that students can play in improving the representation of Botswana on Wikimedia platforms.

Participants contributed content related to Botswana’s creative, cultural, and digital industries while gaining the confidence to continue contributing independently.

The programme also recognised outstanding contributors whose dedication and consistency stood out throughout the three-month initiative.

The top contributors were:

1. KaoGalenamong
118,819 words contributed | 527 references | 392 recent edits | 43 uploads

2. OtengPortia
63,884 words contributed | 246 references | 99 uploads

3. Blackgirlmighty
15,174 words contributed | 143 references

Their achievements reflect the dedication and potential of young people to contribute meaningfully to the preservation and sharing of knowledge.

Building a Sustainable Wikimedia Community

Beyond the contributions made during the programme, the initiative aimed to establish a sustainable community of student editors at Limkokwing University.

By providing training, mentorship, and practical opportunities to contribute, the programme introduced students to the wider Wikimedia movement and encouraged continued participation beyond the School Adoption Program.

The initiative also strengthened collaboration between Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana.

This partnership demonstrates the potential of educational institutions to play an important role in strengthening open knowledge and increasing the representation of local knowledge online.

Looking Ahead

The Limkokwing University School Adoption Program 2026 demonstrated what is possible when students are given the skills, support, and opportunity to participate in knowledge creation.

The programme empowered participants to become more than consumers of information. They became contributors helping to document Botswana’s creativity, culture, innovation, and digital development.

As the Wikimedia Community User Group Botswana continues to build partnerships with educational institutions, initiatives such as the Limkokwing University School Adoption Program will remain important in ensuring that Botswana’s stories and knowledge are represented and accessible to a global audience.

Through open knowledge, students are helping to build Botswana’s digital memory,one contribution at a time.