As the sun sets over the Seine and Wikipedia’s 25th year draws to a close, we set our sights on Santiago. Sitting at the foot of the Andes mountains – the largest mountain range on land spanning seven South American countries – the city embodies the cultural richness, diversity and dynamism of the region.
The Wikimedia movement also faces unprecedented change. The open spirit that once defined the Internet is at an inflection point, under threat from increasing concentration in the hands of few, surveillance, geopolitical fragmentation, and changes to the technological landscape. Against this backdrop, Santiago offers a powerful setting for the Wikimedia movement to come together and respond to a fundamental question: What kind of Internet do we want?
Preparing for Wikimanía 2027
Wikimanía 2027 will take place in Santiago and online from 18 – 21 August, under the theme “The Internet we want.”The Core Organizing Team is already hard at work conceptualizing a conference around a shared vision for the future. A vision of an Internet that is more diverse, more equitable, and more just; where knowledge is a right rather than a privilege; where minority languages are valued on par with hegemonic ones; and where collaboration prevails, where digital public goods (geared toward the public interest rather than profit) are promoted and strengthened.
2027 will mark the third time Wikimanía comes to Latin America, following editions in Buenos Aires (2009) and Mexico City (2015). Its return celebrates the growth of the Wikimedia communities in Latin America – communities that have strengthened and coalesced around core principles of democracy, access to information, freedom of expression, and that have devised innovative strategies for overcoming significant structural barriers in sharing free knowledge with the world. We look forward to hosting a space for global Wikimedia communities to share their own knowledge and experience, and innovate with us as we work toward building the internet we want.
Looking ahead to scholarships
Are you interested in applying to attend Wikimanía Santiago in person? Scholarship applications will open soon to allow successful applicants ample time to apply for and obtain a visa. The team is also aiming to align scholarship applications with programming, so that prospective scholars will know whether they’ve received a scholarship before applying to speak at the conference.
The application will be announced widely when it is live – please keep an eye here on Diff, the Wikimania Wiki, or on the Wikimania social channels (Telegram: @wikimaniachat | Instagram | Facebook).
¡Nos vemos en Santiago!