The Wikipedia was started in the beginning of 2005, along with the Wolof Wikipedia and the Fula Wikipedia. Kasper Souren, a Dutchman who worked with Geekcorps, established this Wikipedia while working in a mission in Mali.Lih, p. 158. Partial preview of relevant content, starting with "Nevertheless, one of those kick-start seed communities in Africa[...]" In December 2007 the Bambara Wikipedia had 142 articles and the Wikipedia in Fula had 28 articles. According to Souren, he was volunteering in Mali in 2005 when he first encountered the Bambara language.Cohen, Noam. "African Languages Grow as a Wikipedia Presence." (Print) The New York Times. August 26, 2006. Retrieved on April 5, 2014.
