Making notable women more visible through Wikiquote

The Wiki Loves Women SheSaid initiative addresses a visible gap in the Wikimedia ecosystem: quotations from notable women are far less represented than quotations from men. The Fante Wikimedians Community brought this global campaign into a local-language context by supporting contributors to improve women’s representation on Wikiquote and related projects.

Participants learned how to identify notable women, find reliable sources for quotations and add material in a way that respects Wikiquote’s standards. The process requires more than copying memorable words. Editors must confirm who said a quotation, where it was published or recorded and whether the source can be independently verified.

Why this matters

Working in Fante adds another layer of care. Contributors may translate quotations while preserving the speaker’s meaning, or document quotations originally expressed in a Ghanaian language. This creates opportunities to recognise women whose voices are important in public life, culture, education, advocacy, arts and community leadership.

The campaign also creates a welcoming entry point for new editors. A focused theme helps participants understand why their work matters, while structured training provides manageable tasks and clear outcomes. Experienced volunteers can then mentor newcomers in sourcing, formatting and Wikimedia policies.

Looking ahead

Improving representation is not a one-time contest. The wider goal is to build habits and capacity so that gender gaps are considered across future programmes. This includes identifying missing biographies, improving existing articles, uploading relevant media and ensuring women’s contributions are visible in Fante-language knowledge spaces.

Through SheSaid, the community linked language inclusion with gender inclusion. The result is not simply more quotations; it is a richer public record in which more women can be encountered as thinkers, leaders, creators and knowledge holders.