> > Geopolitical differences and conflicts among governments should never be a > factor to sanction and obstruct volunteer activities from those nations. We > need to remind ourselves that the government and the Wikimedia volunteers > or affiliates of a country are different entities and the Wikimedia > communities cannot be held responsible for the action of their governments. > Russian heritage photographers have nothing to do with the Ukraine war and > they have equal rights to have their photographs compete and judged like > the other participating countries.
Interpretation is more complex. Russia is destroying Ukraine's landmarks and cultural heritage as part of its methods to wage war. For example, they have been burning the archives of the Stalin era human rights crimes. Another highly problematic thing is that Russia is systematically stealing cultural heritage and other properties from the areas which they have occupied. For example, they stole scientific equipment from Tšernobyl or art from the museums. At the same time, if we highlight the cultural heritage of Russia, we are not just highlighting the volunteer work but Russia's national achievements and imperialism. The participation can be exploited as part of Russian propaganda even if the organizers or Wikimedia movement doesn't mean it so. Br, -- Kimmo Virtanen, Zache (organizer of WLM Finland) On Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 8:46 PM Bodhisattwa <bodhisattwa.rg...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Rubén, > > I find the decision of WLM international team completely reasonable to not > exclude Russian photographs from the competition. > > Geopolitical differences and conflicts among governments should never be a > factor to sanction and obstruct volunteer activities from those nations. We > need to remind ourselves that the government and the Wikimedia volunteers > or affiliates of a country are different entities and the Wikimedia > communities cannot be held responsible for the action of their governments. > Russian heritage photographers have nothing to do with the Ukraine war and > they have equal rights to have their photographs compete and judged like > the other participating countries. > > Also, WLM is not only a photography competiton, it's a way to digitally > preserve heritage. Digital conversation has inverse relationship with > destruction of war. > > Apart from Ukraine, there are conflicts, invasions and wars happening in > the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and other regions. There had been > many in the past and surely there will be more in the future. WLM need not > have to be involved in all these geopolitical complexities and take sides, > rather if it can bridge gaps among people who are in conflicting countries > by including them all, it can rather play that significant role instead of > excluding and dividing them further. > > Regards, > Bodhisattwa > > On Tue, Dec 13, 2022, 18:33 Rodelar <rodelarw...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Hi everyone, >> >> The Wiki Loves Monuments international team has been asked if photographs >> from Russia should be allowed or excluded from participating in this year's >> international contest. We have been in contact with the organising teams of >> Wiki Loves Monuments from Ukraine and from Russia to discuss this and to >> find a solution. >> >> We greatly appreciate that the team from Ukraine has organized the local >> edition of the competition while there is war in their country! We >> understand that there are reservations against seeing images from Ukraine >> and Russia presented side by side in the galleries of nominated or winning >> pictures. >> >> The volunteer team organising Wiki Loves Monuments Russia emphasizes to >> have no ties to the Russian government or the Russian Wikimedia affiliate. >> They are submitting the 10 finalist images to the international final round >> of Wiki Loves Monuments 2022, but the occupied areas, including Crimea and >> Sevastopol, have been excluded from the Wiki Loves monuments campaign. >> Also, in Russia there is no freedom of panorama for works of art. This >> excludes, in fact, any images of monuments and statues erected since World >> War II, and which for example glorify the war, from being legally uploaded >> to Wikimedia Commons. >> >> If images from Russia are excluded because of the war in Ukraine, this >> could, without being based on a rule for the competition, set a precedent >> for other territories where there is war around the world. Rules would have >> to found, before deciding case by case, if a country should not be allowed >> to send its nominations to Wiki Loves Monuments international. >> >> With these considerations in mind, the WLM organising team does not see a >> reason to exclude the submission of Russian finalists images to the >> international final round. >> >> On behalf of the WLM 2022 organising team, >> >> Rubén Ojeda >> >> International jury coordinator, Wiki Loves Monuments 2022 >> _______________________________________________ >> Wiki Loves Monuments mailing list >> To unsubscribe send an email to >> wikilovesmonuments-le...@lists.wikimedia.org >> http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org > > _______________________________________________ > Wiki Loves Monuments mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to > wikilovesmonuments-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org
_______________________________________________ Wiki Loves Monuments mailing list To unsubscribe send an email to wikilovesmonuments-le...@lists.wikimedia.org http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org
