YouTube video by Wikimedia Foundation

YouTube video by Pronoia WP

On the final day of Wikimania Nairobi, the voices of the WikiChoir rang out across the stage at the closing ceremony. They sang two African songs: “Malaika” and “Jambo Bwana.&#822…

<p>The virtual party celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th birthday on January 15th concluded with the premiere of the “Birthday Cake Song”, specially commissioned by the Wikimedia Foundation and performed by members of the WikiOrchestra and WikiChoir.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://diff.wikimedia.org/?attachment_id=185436"><img alt="" class="wp-image-185436" height="831" src="https://diff.wikimedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Birthday_Cake_Song_for_Wikipedia_25_screenshot_81.png?w=1024&amp;resize=1024%2C831" style="width: 424px; height: auto;" width="1024" /></a></figure> </div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The idea: turning a Wikipedia page into a song</h2> <p>The idea for this song was shared in our group chat on December 4th of last year. Kate and Lukas explained that the organising team for the virtual party had asked to include a custom piece of music. Since we couldn’t all gather to sing together, it was suggested to combine video recordings of each member singing, and everyone immediately agreed.</p> <p>On new year’s eve, we finally received information about the concept of the song. The plan was to remotely record a video with music set to a string of names of various cakes from around the world. Most of the cake names were traditionally Western, so it was suggested to add more Asian names. There was a restriction that the names had to be from the Wikipedia article “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cakes">List of cakes</a>,” and I suggested the Japanese “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castella">Castella</a>.”</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rehearsing and recording</h2> <p>The final draft, sent on January 4th, contained a whopping 86 cake names. Madeleines and chocolate cake were easy to recognize, but there are many that I’ve never heard of or seen before, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1nh_b%C3%B2">Bánh bò</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1nh_c%C3%A1y">Bánh cáy</a> (Vietnam), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medivnyk">Medivnyk</a> (Ukraine), and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%C3%A9_pelado">Mané pelado</a> (Brazil)! And while the song starts out slowly, the end is like a tongue twister and I got my tongue all tied up…</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://diff.wikimedia.org/?attachment_id=186372"><img alt="" class="wp-image-186372" height="683" src="https://diff.wikimedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Serabi_jawa_kuno_gula_jawa_kerinh1.jpg?w=1024&amp;resize=1024%2C683" style="width: 326px; height: auto;" width="1024" /></a> <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Serabi, traditional Bali–Java snack</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Still, I managed to practice the lyrics and it was finally time to record. I decorated my kitchen like a stage with daffodils, a Japanese new year’s flower, lined up stock pots decorated with more <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_New_Years_decoration_2025.jpg"> new year’s decorations</a>, set up my smartphone for recording on a storage cart, and pinned a <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WikiWomen_brooch.jpg">WikiWomen brooch</a> on my chest. I played the audio through headphones on my tablet. It was my first time doing something like this, but after practicing a few times, I mustered up the courage and pressed the ‘record’ button. I was nervous and it was hard to smile, but I managed to finish and breathed a sigh of relief. I sent in the files by the deadline on the 7th. In the meantime, various recording ideas from the participants were flying around in the group chat.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The virtual premiere</h2> <p><a href="https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Wikipedia_25_Virtual_Celebration"> The virtual party</a> finally arrived on the 15th, the birthday of Wikipedia, and started at midnight Japan time. With everyone excited and chatting in the group chat, the song began with Bobby’s keyboard intro. Everyone’s voices had been mixed together, images of the various cakes were displayed, and our singing faces appeared one after another. Seeing the scenes from the singers’ kitchens was fun, and the excitement grew with the addition of Ferfive’s lovely soprano voice, recorded in a Wikimedia apron and hat, Lukas’ playful clarinet, and Johnny’s percussion. Finally, Ferfive and Misosoof’s virtuoso ‘rap’ delivery left us speechless, bringing the fun-filled music to a close. After the party ended, we were delighted to see the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birthday_Cake_Song_for_Wikipedia_25_screenshot_12.png"> usernames of all 15 members</a> who performed recognised on the screen.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://diff.wikimedia.org/?attachment_id=185439"><img alt="" class="wp-image-185439" height="554" src="https://diff.wikimedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Birthday_Cake_Song_for_Wikipedia_25_screenshot_11.png?w=1024&amp;resize=1024%2C554" style="width: 576px; height: auto;" width="1024" /></a> <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Birthday Cake Song singers and cakes</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Members from over 10 countries gathered virtually to complete the song in a very short space of time. We would like to thank the organising team for their wonderful editing, and all the Wikimedians around the world who listened to us. Now we are excited to make more <a href="https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:WikiOrchestra">WikiOrchestra plans for Wikimania 2026</a> in Paris!</p> <p>The Birthday Cake Song video here:</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"></div> </div> </figure>

On the final day of Wikimania Nairobi, the voices of the WikiChoir rang out across the stage at the closing ceremony. They sang two African songs: “Malaika” and “Jambo Bwana.” The Swahili songs brought the entire audience to their feet, with everyone singing along and enjoying the rhythm. WikiChoir performing at the closing ceremony. ## What is the WikiChoir? The idea for the WikiChoir—a choir at Wikimania, where Wikimedians from around the world gather—was hatched the previous year during the WikiOrchestra’s performance in Katowice. At the time, the focus was on instrumental music, with only a small number of singers. However, Lukas Mezger, the organizer, knew the appeal of African songs and was determined to include a choir at Wikimania in Nairobi. In early 2025, a WikiChoir page was created on Wiki and announced in the WikiOrchestra members’ group chat. The proposal was approved in June, and preparations began. There was a lot to do: requesting a local choir director in Nairobi, deciding on the songs to sing, recruiting members, and sharing sheet music and audio files. Lukas, who could not be participate in person, carried out all preparations remotely. It was quickly decided that we would sing the famous Swahili song “Malaika,” but due to various circumstances, it wasn’t until August that the second song was decided. ## Joel Meluki’s Amazing Rehearsal On the morning of August 6, the first day of Wikimania, the members of the choir received the Swahili lyrics to prepare. After the opening ceremony in the evening, the singers met for the first time. The WikiOrchestra members were delighted to be reunited and began their first rehearsal with the new members. With choir director Joel’s excellent guidance, it was moving to see the music take shape so quickly, even though none of them had ever sung Swahili before. Joel recorded a demonstration on the spot and immediately shared it in the group chat, and the members practiced individually between sessions. During the rehearsal in the afternoon of the third day, they were instructed to memorize the lyrics for the performance. ## Wearing Kenyan colors for the performance on stage Flag of Kenya On the fourth day, August 9, the members of the choir, dressed in black, green, red, and white, with the colors of the Kenyan flag, entered the closing ceremony venue after an offstage warm-up. As the programme progressed, the WikiChoir was called onto the stage, and the 29 members, accompanied by Robbie on keyboards and Johnny on percussion, lined up in two rows. Following Kate‘s introduction to the Wiki Choir, Joel introduced “Malaika” to the audience, and the song began. The chorus sang the feelings of a poor young man who falls in love with the beautiful Malaika. Next, Kate returned to the microphone to introduce “Jambo Bwana,” and Joel called for the audience to stand. Joel called out to begin the song. During the interludes between the soloists and the chorus, the soloist, Misosoof, brilliantly led and supported the music. The chorus repeated “Hakuna Matata” (No problem!), and the venue was filled with excitement as everyone sang and stomped along, overflowing with the power of music, Wikimedia, and above all, the Impact of Africa.