Year: 2008 Week: 14 Number: 93 Extra

Foundation

• [Wikimania 2009] - on March 28, after a long wait since February 28, the jury that would determine the location of Wikimania 2009 chose Buenos Aires, Argentina.  This is the first time that a Spanish-speaking country will harbor the largest gathering of Wikimedians.  Other bids for Wikimania 2009 were from the cities of Toronto (Canada), Brisbane (Australia), and Karlsruhe (Germany).

This is the first occasion that the convention will be done in two languages (English and Spanish) and will be carried out in the southern hemisphere of the planet, on August 28-30, 2009, according to information presented by the local organization.

Backing this bid was Wikimedia Argentina (presided by Patrician Lorente), which did everything to present to the capital of Argentina as a place for Wikimedians to come and visit.

The jury picked the Latin American city due to the large Spanish-language projects of the Foundation (wikipedia, wikinoticias, wikilibros, etc.) and the cultural significance of the city.  The jury also emphasized the great commitment of the organization and the activity that has developed Wikimedia Argentina from December 2007.

• [Interview] - In a brief interview, Patrician Lorente (President of Wikimedia Argentina) responded to questions about Buenos Aires as headquarters of Wikimania 2009.

This interview was arranged and published in the Spanish language edition of Wikizine ( ES2008-93 extra). A machine translation of it is in included below.

<babelfish translation>

Wikizine: How arose the restlessness from Wikimania in Wikimedia Argentina?

Patricio: It even arose before organizing to us like Wikimedia Argentina formally. Our sensation is as much the Spanish-speaking world as the South hemisphere has, by different reasons, a marginal participation in the global community of Wikimedia, that does not correspond with the real participation in the projects. Even let us remember that the Wikipedia in Spanish second more is visited and than the Spanish-speaking community, with its overwhelming heterogeneity and complexity is growing and it is being organized of admirable way.

W: Which were the main problems that were in the organization?

P: We have not had serious problems still, but the hard work just begins. Until now we have had to work in the development of a project, from the resolution of the jury of Wikimanía 2009 we will have to take that project to the practice.

W: What is the hope of this event?
P: We hope to turn to the Spanish-speaking community and the South hemisphere assets protagonists of the global dynamics of the Wikimedia projects. We want to show our European and North American friends whom an anxious community exists here and worker who is perhaps sometimes invisible for many. Perhaps that the ideal of the free knowledge has a more meant and particular importance in these places of the world in which the difficulties to the access to the education and the knowledge are multiplied for vast social sectors.

W: A message for the readers of Wikizine.
P: That we waited for them in Buenos Aires! The projects brothers of the Wikipedia already take own flight and is necessary to show them the community.

</babelfish translation>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos Aires
http://wikitravel.org/en/Buenos_Aires
http://www.wikimedia.org.ar - Wikimedia Argentina
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2009/Bids/Buenos_Aires - Candidatura de Buenos Aires para Wikimania 2009

Editor(s): Dennis Tobar ([[meta:User:Superzerocool]]) Translator: Casey Brown  Thanks to: Patricio Lorente Construction: Walter
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