At KNLS Buruburu Library, Wikidata’s 14th birthday brought together learning, conversations about knowledge gaps, a birthday cake and an unexpected new contributor.

On 24 October 2026, Kenya National Library Service Buruburu Library in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted a celebration of Wikidata’s 14th birthday . The event brought together participants interested in open knowledge, information sharing and contributing to Wikimedia projects.

For me, the day was more than a birthday celebration. As the trainer, I had an opportunity to introduce participants to Wikidata, explain how they could contribute, and explore with them how we can work together to improve the representation of Kenyan and African knowledge online.

The event also brought a lovely surprise: our photographer, who had come to document the celebration, ended up joining the Wikidata team herself!

Starting the day with connections

We began the day with an icebreaker facilitated by Yusuf.…