Affandy on Wikilokal day2 WikiNusantara 2026

Four years after my status as a scholarship recipient was blocked following an administrative violation at WikiNusantara 2022 in Padang, I was selected again for WikiNusantara 2026, the fifth edition of Indonesia’s annual Wikimedia volunteer conference, held April 11–12 in Makassar under the theme “Diversity, Creativity, and Sustainability.” For me, this wasn’t just a second conference, it was a second chance I’m deeply grateful for, and one I was determined not to squander.

The biggest honor came when Wikimedia Indonesia entrusted me to teach my own class, titled WikiLokal, my first time leading a session at a Wikimedia conference, after having only attended as a regular participant at WikiMania 2025 in Nairobi. In short, WikiLokal is a web and Android platform that lets anyone access Wikipedia articles, Wiktionary descriptions, Wikivoyage entries, Commons galleries, and Wikidata tying it all together, all within a 3-kilometer radius and without needing to log in. Beyond the class, I also uploaded photos of Makassar’s buildings, fixed Wikidata entries, added content to Wikipedia and Wikivoyage articles, and helped Hisyam from WMID explain Wikidata notability issues at a discussion table.

Makassar itself was memorable for another reason: it was my first time setting foot on Sulawesi, where I finally met, in person, friends from Wikimedia Manokwari and Wikimedia Makassar I’d previously only known online. I learned plenty along the way, from Wiktionary entry standards in Jawad’s Lexicography class, to stories of the Wikimedia movement in Manokwari from Pak Suardi, to a deeper lesson in cross-cultural communication while wandering alone in search of souvenirs at Toko Ektong, on a tip from Ibu Husnul Fahima Ilyas.

The most valuable lesson, though, came later: after reading other participants’ reports mentioning WikiLokal as a useful tool for their own projects, I realized something that feels small to us can matter a great deal to others. Going forward, my priority is developing WikiLokal iteratively based on community feedback, while exploring project-based collaboration with the Wikimedia Malaysia community.

One note for future organizers: splitting seating during discussion and community-night sessions actually dampened the warmth between communities, and the overly packed schedule left many participants exhausted, though thankfully, bonding still grew naturally during the bus rides. Thank you to the entire committee, including the Walking Tour team and Kak Alil, for a chance I won’t take for granted.