From 23 to 27 August 2026, Wikimedia Tunisia User Group, in partnership with the Association of Culture and Science in Metlaoui, organized Wikipedia Camp Tunisia 2026 at the Camping and Holiday Center in Bkalta, Tunisia.

The camp was the realization of a dream that had been growing within the Tunisian Wikimedia community for several years. Its main inspiration came from the successful WikiCamp Armenia, a pioneering project that brought Wikimedia contributors together through learning, collaboration, and community-building activities. The Armenian experience demonstrated how a camp could create a strong environment for both newcomers and experienced Wikimedians to learn from one another and contribute together.

Inspired by this model, Wikimedia Tunisia began developing the idea of creating a similar experience in Tunisia.

From workshops to the camp

The camp was developed in cooperation with the Scouts of Tunisia. Before the camp, a series of workshops was organized for young participants from different Scout groups. These workshops introduced participants to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects and encouraged them to discover how they could contribute to free knowledge.

Following these activities, participants who showed the strongest interest and engagement were selected to take part in Wikipedia Camp Tunisia 2026.

This approach allowed the camp to bring together young people who had already gained their first experience with Wikimedia projects while creating an environment where they could continue learning and improving their skills.

Five days dedicated to free knowledge

Throughout the five-day camp, participants took part in a wide range of activities focused on Wikimedia projects.

Editing sessions were organized on Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons, allowing participants to put their newly acquired knowledge into practice. They worked on improving articles, adding and enriching structured data, uploading and documenting media, and discovering the links between the different Wikimedia projects.

One of the most important outcomes was the creation of new articles on Arabic Wikipedia about Tunisia, with a particular focus on sports-related topics. Participants also worked on Wikidata, creating new items and improving information about books and authors using data from the National Library of Tunisia database.

These activities showed participants how different Wikimedia projects can work together: information researched for Wikipedia can be structured through Wikidata, while institutional sources such as library databases can help improve the quality and coverage of Wikimedia’s structured knowledge.

Learning from Wikimedia Libya

The participation of two representatives from Wikimedia Libya was one of the highlights of the camp. Their presence created an opportunity for exchange between Wikimedia communities in the region and added valuable experience to the program.

They organized a presentation about Wikidata, Wikidata items, and the role of Wikidata in relation to Wikipedia. The session helped participants understand that Wikidata is not simply a database, but an important part of the Wikimedia ecosystem that supports and connects information across different Wikimedia projects.

A second presentation focused on user rights on Arabic Wikipedia. The Libyan Wikimedians explained the different rights available to contributors, their importance, and how participants could develop their editing experience and become more involved in the community.

The session also encouraged participants to take the next step in their Wikimedia journey by requesting appropriate user rights on Arabic Wikipedia. By the end of the camp, several participants had already submitted requests for user rights, demonstrating the practical impact of the training and the motivation created during the event.

Building the future of the Wikimedia movement

Wikipedia Camp Tunisia 2026 was more than a five-day event. It was an experiment in community development and a step toward creating a new generation of Tunisian Wikimedians.

The journey that began with inspiration from Armenia and continued through workshops with the Scouts of Tunisia has now resulted in a Tunisian WikiCamp of its own. The experience demonstrated the power of bringing young contributors together, giving them the tools to contribute, and connecting them with experienced members of the Wikimedia movement.

For Wikimedia Tunisia, the camp represents not an endpoint, but the beginning of a longer journey. The participants now have the opportunity to continue contributing to Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and other Wikimedia projects—and to share what they have learned with others.

From Armenia to Tunisia, the idea of WikiCamp has travelled across communities, adapted to a new context, and created new opportunities for free knowledge and collaboration in Tunisia.