Folklore is one of the most powerful ways through which communities preserve and share their collective identity. It carries the memories, beliefs, customs, creativity, and experiences of people from one generation to another. Folklore is not limited to stories and legends; it includes folk festivals, dances, music, games, cuisine, traditional clothing, rituals, seasonal celebrations, folk arts, mythology, religion, oral traditions, ballads, fairy tales, folk plays, and many other forms of cultural expression. In an increasingly digital and rapidly changing world, documenting these traditions has become essential to ensuring that they are not forgotten.
The annual photography contest held in February 2021 focused on the folk cultures of different regions and communities, encouraging participants to document and visually represent diverse cultural practices. Such initiatives demonstrate how photography, storytelling, and collaborative knowledge-sharing can help bring lesser-known traditions to a wider audience. They also highlight the importance of documenting cultural practices that may otherwise remain confined to local communities or gradually disappear.
Every culture has its own heartbeat—a rhythm woven through tradition, music, dance, storytelling, and oral history. Yet many of these stories remain unheard, overshadowed by modernity or lost in the vast digital landscape. In particular, the knowledge and experiences of women, Indigenous communities, marginalized groups, and other underrepresented communities have often received insufficient attention in mainstream historical and cultural documentation. Their contributions, however, are essential to understanding the richness and diversity of global folklore.
Feminism and Folklore 2025 builds on this vision by bringing together Wikimedia Affiliates, volunteers, researchers, cultural organizations, photographers, and folklore enthusiasts from across the world. The campaign takes place from February 1 to March 31, 2025, creating an international platform for participants to explore, document, and share diverse forms of folklore.
The campaign is not merely an effort to collect information; it is a movement to celebrate cultural diversity, preserve intangible cultural heritage, and amplify voices that have historically been overlooked. A major focus of the 2025 campaign is enriching Wikipedia with reliable, well-researched, and high-quality articles about the contributions of women and underrepresented communities to folklore.
Through research, photography, writing, oral-history documentation, and collaboration, participants can help make these cultural narratives more visible and accessible. By connecting local knowledge with a global audience, Feminism and Folklore 2025 seeks to create a more inclusive representation of cultural heritage and ensure that the stories, traditions, and voices of diverse communities continue to inspire future generations.
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