Tied to our cellphones, slaves to the city’s bustling sounds, there are very few places left today where human-made noises stay away. Silence seems to have become a metaphor, an ever-distant panacea that, as long as clocks keep ticking, will never cease to be far away. This thought, unsettling as it was, pushed George Foy, a journalist and New York University creative writing professor, on a research journey towards the last quiet places in the world.
Could the last quiet place be in Algeria? BarakaBits spoke to Soundous Benterki, founder of Humans of Algeria, a project which unlike its counterparts in Amman, Palestine, or its brain-father Stanton’s HONY, focuses on Algeria’s hidden nature spots aside from the human landscape.
“Algeria is a land of history, a land of diversity, hospitality, and beauty,” she says. The page’s series, such as “Live from Tikja”, present a real-time report across some of Algeria’s most breathtaking places and unveils the geography of a country whose sloping mountains and green forests defy any preconception of the Arab world’s forgotten natural gem. “When people see this pictures, they want to know more about Algeria,” a country ignored by tourists and unnoticed by adventure-seekers.
Taken by prominent Algerian photographers Metatla, Lola Khalfa, and Mustapha Sellali, these pictures offer a sneak peak into what could be the Middle East’s haven to the human ear: oases where human noise doesn’t reach…. or at least, where it is worth it to try the experience.
For more information: Visit Humans of Algeria’s Facebook page.