I Came for the Learning, Left with a Renewed Purpose: My Transformative Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 Experience

Some experiences stay with you long after the event has ended. They are not just about the knowledge acquired or the activities undertaken; they are about the people you meet, the connections you build, the ideas you exchange, and the renewed sense of purpose you take home. For me, Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 was one of such experiences.

Organised by African & Proud, under the leadership of its co-founders, Richard Edozie and Kolawole Oyewole, Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 brought together young people, passionate Wikimedians, knowledge enthusiasts, and emerging changemakers in Lagos, Nigeria, for an enriching experience centred on open knowledge, leadership, collaboration, and capacity development.

Having participated in Afroyanga Bootcamp 2.0, returning for the third edition was particularly exciting. It was another opportunity to reconnect with the Afroyanga experience, meet new people, share experiences, and continue growing within a community that inspires young Africans to contribute meaningfully to the knowledge ecosystem.

I came for the learning, but I left with much more: valuable friendships, meaningful connections, practical insights, leadership experiences, and a renewed determination to contribute to making African knowledge more visible and accessible to the world.

Meeting Like Minds: Where Connections Became Opportunities

One of the most beautiful parts of Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 was meeting people who share similar passions, interests, and aspirations.

There is something refreshing about being in a room filled with people who understand your vision, appreciate the importance of knowledge sharing, and are equally passionate about creating meaningful change. Everyone had something to contribute, whether through personal experiences, professional expertise, community initiatives, or ideas for the future.

The conversations went beyond introductions. We shared experiences, exchanged ideas, learned from one another, and discovered opportunities for collaboration. It was inspiring to interact with fellow Wikimedians and individuals working across different areas of knowledge, technology, culture, and community development.

The facilitators were absolutely top-notch. Their expertise, practical teaching approaches, openness to questions, and ability to make complex subjects engaging contributed immensely to the quality of the experience.

Every session offered an opportunity to learn, unlearn, reflect, and see things from a different perspective.

Discovering the Knowledge Africa Has Yet to Share with the World

One of the activities that particularly challenged my thinking was Beat the Internet: What Do We Know That the Internet Doesn’t?, facilitated by Kolawole Oyewole.

The activity encouraged participants to think beyond information already available online and recognise the enormous wealth of knowledge that exists within our communities.

It was a simple but powerful exercise that raised an important question: What happens to the knowledge that our communities possess but the internet knows little or nothing about?

As the activity progressed, I found myself reflecting deeply on Africa’s undocumented and underrepresented knowledge, particularly our indigenous histories, local traditions, languages, cultural practices, traditional innovations, and community experiences.

I was especially drawn to the need to document Africa’s indigenous and community-based health knowledge. There is so much valuable health-related knowledge, traditional practices, and lived experience within African communities that remains poorly documented and underrepresented in digital knowledge spaces.

This reinforced my conviction that Africa must take greater responsibility for documenting, preserving, and sharing its knowledge.

As someone leading the African Institute for Heritage Intelligence, this conversation resonated strongly with our organisational vision. It reminded me that heritage preservation is not limited to monuments, artefacts, and physical cultural expressions. It also includes the knowledge systems, intellectual contributions, oral histories, and lived experiences that shape African identities.

We must create opportunities for communities to participate in documenting their knowledge, while ensuring that such documentation is responsible, respectful, verifiable, and attentive to community rights and sensitivities.

The internet should not only reflect what the rest of the world knows about Africa; it should also reflect what Africans know about themselves.

An Unexpected Leadership Moment: Leading My Group During the Presentation

One of my most memorable experiences at the bootcamp was the opportunity to lead my group during the group presentation and project defence.

Honestly, that moment was both funny and exciting!

Taking the lead meant coordinating ideas, bringing different perspectives together, contributing to the development of our project, and representing the team’s collective effort during the presentation.

It was an opportunity to demonstrate teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and leadership under pressure.

However, the most hilarious part was our project budget!

When my team presented its proposed budget, the figures were something else. At some point, it seemed as though we had designed a project that would require an almost impossible amount of money to execute. I could almost imagine the reactions of potential funders if they were presented with that budget!

It was one of those moments that made everyone reflect on the relationship between ambitious ideas, available resources, and practical implementation.

But here is my position: I am not backing off!

The budget may look intimidating, the resources may seem enormous, and the road ahead may be challenging, but I believe that meaningful projects require bold thinking, strategic partnerships, resource mobilisation, and determination.

We shall execute the project.

I am committed to exploring the possibilities, building the necessary partnerships, identifying potential supporters, and working towards turning the idea into reality. I want to see the project move beyond the presentation room and become an intervention that contributes meaningfully to Africa’s development.

That experience was a turning point for me. It reminded me that leadership is not simply about presenting impressive ideas; it is about taking responsibility for those ideas, working with people, navigating challenges, and remaining committed even when the resources appear insufficient.

Sometimes, the most important thing is not how ambitious your budget looks but how determined you are to find a way to make your vision work.

Learning Beyond Editing: Expanding My Wikimedia Experience

Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 also broadened my understanding of the Wikimedia movement and the opportunities available within the open knowledge ecosystem.

The session on Wikipedia’s core content policies, facilitated by Melody Idoghor, provided practical insights into notability, verifiability, reliable sources, and the Neutral Point of View (NPOV).

It was an important reminder that responsible editing requires more than enthusiasm. We must understand the principles that guide the creation of reliable, balanced, and verifiable knowledge.

Another valuable session was Beyond Giving Back: Understanding the True Value of Volunteering, facilitated by Andikan Efiok Eduok. The discussion explored volunteering as more than an act of service. It also provides opportunities for personal growth, professional development, relationship building, skills acquisition, and leadership.

Mr Ayokanmi Oyeyemi’s session on Understanding the Wikimedia Movement: Why Your Contribution Matters further encouraged participants to appreciate the wider Wikimedia ecosystem and understand how individual contributions support a global movement for free knowledge.

I also found the session on artificial intelligence governance, facilitated by Samuel Adedokun, particularly relevant to the changing digital environment.

The practical Wikidata session facilitated by Chinonso Chidi was another highlight. Participants explored structured data, Wikidata interfaces, gadgets, the Wikidata Query Service, and the Wikidata Query Builder. We also had the opportunity to make practical edits and experiment with queries.

These sessions reinforced an important lesson for me: being a Wikimedia editor is much more than creating and improving articles. It is about participating in a global knowledge movement, developing digital competencies, supporting knowledge equity, and helping to make information freely accessible.

A Learning Experience That Felt Like a Vacation

nterestingly, Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 was not all about intensive training, serious conversations, and presentations.

It was also one of the most memorable Wikimedia-related events I have attended because it offered a refreshing combination of learning, relaxation, exploration, fun, and networking.

The team activities, laughter, social interactions, and visits to creative spaces in Lagos made the experience particularly enjoyable. It almost felt like a vacation, except that I returned with more knowledge, stronger connections, new ideas, and an even greater sense of responsibility.

I enjoyed the opportunity to relax, interact with fellow participants, and appreciate the different personalities and experiences within the Wikimedia community.

I felt genuinely proud to be a Wikimedia editor. Sometimes, we become so focused on our individual contributions that we forget the incredible community and global movement we belong to.

Afroyanga reminded me that the Wikimedia experience is not just about editing pages. It is also about people, collaboration, friendships, capacity development, and the shared commitment to making knowledge accessible to everyone.

It was fun, but it was also eye-opening. It was relaxing, but it was also intellectually stimulating. Most importantly, it was an experience that strengthened my sense of belonging within the Wikimedia movement.

The Work Ahead: Building Partnerships to Make Africa’s Knowledge Count

As I reflect on my experience, I realise that I am returning with more than memories and photographs. I am returning with a renewed sense of responsibility.

As the Executive Director of the African Institute for Heritage Intelligence, I see enormous opportunities and even greater responsibilities ahead.

Africa has an abundance of knowledge that deserves to be documented, preserved, researched, and shared. From indigenous knowledge systems and traditional health-related knowledge to oral histories, cultural practices, local innovations, and community heritage, there is still much work to be done.

I believe that achieving meaningful progress will require stronger partnerships and collaboration among Wikimedia communities, cultural institutions, researchers, traditional knowledge holders, heritage professionals, technology enthusiasts, and organisations working to preserve African heritage.

We need to build bridges between communities and digital knowledge platforms, support local knowledge documentation, develop capacities, and create sustainable initiatives that will improve the representation of African knowledge.

I am particularly interested in exploring opportunities for collaboration that will connect the work of the African Institute for Heritage Intelligence with the broader open knowledge movement.

The experience has further strengthened my belief that we cannot make Africa’s knowledge count by working in isolation. We must build relationships, share expertise, mobilise resources, and work together.

And yes, that ambitious project from our group presentation is still very much on my mind. Our budget may have been hilarious, but our determination is serious!

I look forward to turning ideas into action, conversations into partnerships, and ambitious proposals into impactful projects.

More Than a Bootcamp, A Renewed Purpose

Afroyanga Bootcamp 3.0 was more than a training programme for me. It was an opportunity to learn, unlearn, lead, laugh, connect, reflect, and rediscover the possibilities within the Wikimedia movement.

From meeting like-minded individuals and learning from exceptional facilitators to leading my group during the project presentation, every experience contributed to making the bootcamp unforgettable.

Returning as an alumnus made it even more meaningful. It reminded me of the value of continuous learning, community, and staying connected to spaces that encourage growth and positive change.

I am grateful to African & Proud, its co-founders Richard Edozie and Kolawole Oyewole, the facilitators, organisers, and every participant who contributed to making this experience memorable.

I left with new friendships, stronger connections, fresh ideas, valuable lessons, and a renewed commitment to the work ahead.

My biggest takeaway is simple: Africa has the knowledge, the people, and the potential. What we need is greater collaboration, intentional documentation, strategic partnerships, and the determination to make our contributions visible to the world.

As I return to my work, I carry one conviction with me: we must continue documenting, preserving, sharing, and promoting African knowledge.

The journey continues, the connections remain, and the work has only just begun.

We are not backing off. Together, through partnership and collaboration, we shall make African knowledge count and make Africa proud again!