oris Darlington Quarshie
Joris Darlington Quarshie is a Ghanaian data scientist, software engineer, and cloud specialist. Fluent in Twi and English, he is the Event Coordinator for Wiki Loves Folklore and Community Lead for the African Wikimedia Technical Community. With a history of impactful roles, including at Wikimania 2023 and Open Foundation West Africa, Joris is dedicated to advancing technology and fostering inclusivity in Africa and beyond.
Indak Boy Kadayawan Festival by Fpj455 (CC-BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Every day, stories are being lost.
Not because they don’t matter, but because no one has written them down yet.
Across the world, people carry memories, traditions, songs, crafts, and histories passed from one generation to the next. Many of these stories live in women’s voices, in Indigenous communities, and in cultures that have rarely been documented online. When they are not recorded, they slowly disappear.
This is why Wiki Loves Folklore 2026 and Feminism and Folklore 2026 matter.
Why This Work Is Important
Tallinna song festival by Masii (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons
Wikipedia is one of the most used sources of knowledge in the world. Yet today:
- Only about 20.27% of biographies on Wikipedia are about women
- Many Indigenous traditions, folklore practices, and cultural knowledge are missing or poorly documented
- Stories from the Global South are still underrepresented
These are not just numbers. They represent people whose lives, work, and cultures deserve to be seen and remembered.
Folklore is not “old stories.”
It is how communities explain the world, teach values, celebrate life, and survive change.
When folklore is missing online, entire communities become invisible.
What These Campaigns Are About
Miao folkdance – Guizhou, China by PeterSzabo83, (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Wiki Loves Folklore 2026
This campaign focuses on documenting folklore through photos, videos, and audio:
- Traditional clothing
- Cultural festivals
- Folk dances and music
- Handicrafts
- Storytelling traditions
- Everyday cultural practices
Feminism and Folklore 2026
This campaign focuses on writing and improving articles about:
- Women culture bearers
- Female storytellers, artists, and tradition keepers
- Folklore practices led or preserved by women
- Gender and culture from a local perspective
Together, these campaigns help ensure that folklore is documented with respect, accuracy, and local voices at the centre.