Alma’a unfolds as a narrative that reimagines the arab legend of Mount Qâf جبل القاف through the lens of contemporary storytelling genres. Presented as a podcast script, the text introduces an online platform where individuals collectively recall their journey to Alma'a, an emerald mountain perched at the edge of the world. Together, they attempt to reconstruct and archive this memory while seeking to understand what lies beyond the mountain. Is it truly the end of the world, or merely an illusion of an endless sky?To prompt contemplation on the evolving nature of human connection, this fiction explores the dynamics of online communities through themes such as belonging, collective memory, escapism, and contemporary utopias.
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FR: Ce texte retrace les pistes de recherche qui ont nourri la conception du projet Alma'a. Mêlant souvenirs personnels et réflexions sur les pratiques numériques et traditionnelles, cet article examine comment les traditions orales - autrefois gardiennes des mythes et des légendes - sont en train de muter à l'ère numérique. À travers des études de cas telles que creepypastas et Unfiction, il examine si un lien peut être établi entre les archétypes narratifs anciens et la montée des légendes urbaines en ligne, et ce que cela pourrait révéler sur l'évolution de l'imagination collective.
Behind the mountain //
Derrière la montagne
ENG: This text retraces the research paths that nourished the conception of the Alma'a project. Blending personal recollections with reflections on both digital and traditional practices, this article traces how oral traditions — once the keepers of myth and legend — are mutating in the digital age. Through case studies such as creepypastas and Unfiction, it investigates whether a connection can be drawn between ancient narrative archetypes and the rise of online urban legends, and what this might reveal about the evolution of collective imagination.