في آخر سويعات النهار، حينما يتكسر النور على كثبان الرمال، تتداخل الظلال مثلما تتداخل الهويات. هناك في أقاصي شمال المملكة، حيث لا تزال الخيمة تُضرب على الرمل، إلا أن إشارات الإنترنت صارت تتدفق فوقها، وتتمازج روائح القهوة مع أصوات إشعارات البث المباشر.
لم يدر بخلد أحد من الرعيل الأول في الأجيال الماضية، أن صهوة الجمل ستُستبدل بكاميرا هاتف، ولا أن لُغة «المقناص» و«القطين» ستُحفظ في ذاكرة خوادم رقمية، بعدما عاشت أسيرة صدور الرجال؟ ليس هذا استلابًا، ولا تخليًا. إنه مشهد من التحوّل، يقوده جيلٌ جديد لا يرى التعارض بين جهاز بث مباشر وهُوية بدوية عمرها قرون.
هذه الحروف ليست حول نوستالجيا، ولا هي وثائقي عاطفي عن «التراث الجميل». بل تجسد لحظة مفصلية، في عالم رقمي حديث يُعيد تعريف الهُوية البدوية في مختبرات TikTok، ومساحات X ، وأسواق Etsy.
في الماضي، كانت الثقافة البدوية مرادفًا للسكون، للرمل الذي لا يتغير. واليوم، تظهر فتية هنا في بث حي من عمق الصحراء يتحدثون عن الحناء النجدي، وفتاة هناك تدرّس اللهجة الجنوبية على بودكاست صوتي، وشاب بينهما يحوّل «الفروة» إلى ماركة عالمية بشعار رقمي منقوش بالخط الكوفي.
ليست هذه مجرد مقاطع محتوى، بل أنوية سردية لهوية تعيد تعريف نفسها. لم يعد المحتوى البدوي يصل إلينا بوصفه «كيانا تراثيا»، بعد أن تحول أبناء البادية إلى فاعلين رقميين يحفظون السرد ويحولونه إلى اقتصاد.
مصطلح «البدو الرقميون» (Digital Nomads) منتشر في ثقافات الغرب، لكنه يحمل هنا نكهة مغايرة تمامًا. هنا، لا يعني العمل من الشاطئ فحسب، بل العمل من البر، من قرب موارد الماء القديمة، ومن عمق الموروث. شباب سعوديون يبرمجون من داخل خيمة، ويصممون شعارات أعمالهم على الأرض الرملية.
تلك المفارقة ليست عفوية. هناك وعي جديد يُنبت من التربة القديمة بذورًا لغدٍ أكثر تركيبًا. الهوية البدوية هنا ليست بقايا، بل مورد، ومنصة، وملف قابل للتحديث المستمر.
لا يوثق أبناء الجيل الجديد الموروث عبر الكتب أو الندوات، بل عبر 15 ثانية من «ريل» مصور أو سلسلة تغريدات. يُقال إن «التاريخ يُكتَب من قبل الأقوياء»، لكن التاريخ اليوم يُعاد إنتاجه من قبل المرئيين.
الفتاة التي تحيك سجادة تقليدية وتنشر مراحلها على Instagram، لا تحافظ على التراث فحسب، بل تعيد كتابته بصوتها. والشاب الذي يربط ناقة في خلفية فيديو عن البرمجة لا يجمّل المشهد، بل يوسّع حدود ما يُعتبر «معاصراً».
السؤال هنا ليس: هل ضاعت البداوة؟ بل: إلى أين تمضي وهي تُولد من جديد على شاشات OLED؟
ينظر بعض المحافظين بعين الريبة، ويرى بعض الأكاديميين أنها طفرة عابرة. لكن الحقيقة التي لا يمكن إنكارها تقول إن هناك اقتصاد بدوي رقمي ينمو. فهناك جمهور يشتري العقال الفضي عبر متجر إلكتروني، ويتعلم كيفية إعداد «اللبن الجميد» من فيديو بتقنية 4K.
ولم تنأ الجهات الرسمية بنفسها عن هذا التحول، إذ وفرت جهات حكومية عدة مساحات فعلية له. ففي جدة، أطلقت جامعة الملك عبدالعزيز مشروعًا باستخدام تقنيات geomatics لإنشاء جولة افتراضية تفاعلية بالواقع الافتراضي في قلب حي البلَد التاريخي، تضم معالمه ومبانيه المدرجة في اليونسكو، وتدعمها بيانات وتحليلات مكانية للمستثمرين والمستخدمين. كما تعاونت هيئة الثقافة مع حاضنة فالكُون فيز لتوثيق المواقع التراثية بنماذج ثلاثية الأبعاد، ونماذج افتراضية لمواقع مثل العلا، والبلد، ومدائن صالح، وأماكن مقدسة. هذه الأدوات لا تُنمّي التراث فحسب، بل تبثه إلى العالم بلغة الطبيعة الرقمية. بينما أطلقت وزارة الثقافة المنصة الثقافية الوطنية الغامرة ـ أول متحف ميتافيرس في العالم ـ بجولات تاريخية عبر الواقع الافتراضي، تشمل حفلات موسيقية وواجهة تثقيفية.
فيما ظهرت في مبادرات أخرى معادلة واضحة: قرية بدوية تُبث حية، بلغة الحاضر. ففي Reddit، نجد مبادرات مثل «Khaleeji Digital Heritage Project»، حيث انضم شباب من المهندسين والفنانين لإعادة تصميم مواقع التراث رقميًا، عبر طابعات ثلاثية الأبعاد وأدوات تصميم مجانية. إن هنا مُخاضاً ثقافيّاً تقنيّاً يبدأ من عزف ألوان البداوة، ويمتد ليصل عالمياً عبر شبكة الإنترنت.
وفي ظلال الرمال الممتدة، لكن بين طبقات السحب الرقمية، تصعد هوية جديدة. لم تفرّط في الخيمة، لكنها أعادت تصميمها. لم تتخلَ عن «الشبة»، لكنها صارت تشعلها في بث مباشر. لم تتوارَ في الصحراء، بل بنت على رمالها عوالم موازية، منفتحة، وعابرة للحواجز. وبهذا يؤكد «بدو المستقبل» أنهم ليسوا مجرد جيل رقمي، بل ورثة سرد وفاعلو تشكيل، يُقِيمون فوق الرمل، ويحلّقون في السحابة.
الحكاية الرقمية للبادية.. حين سكنت الخيمة داخل السحابة
عنوان
14 يوليو 2025 - 06:10
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آخر تحديث 14 يوليو 2025 - 06:10
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
«عكاظ» (جدة) OKAZ_online@
In the last moments of the day, as the light breaks on the sand dunes, shadows intertwine just as identities do. There, in the far north of the kingdom, where tents are still pitched on the sand, internet signals now flow above them, and the aromas of coffee blend with the sounds of live broadcast notifications.
No one from the first generation of the past ever imagined that the saddle of a camel would be replaced by a smartphone camera, nor that the language of "mugnas" and "qateen" would be preserved in the memory of digital servers after having lived captive in the hearts of men. This is neither alienation nor abandonment. It is a scene of transformation, led by a new generation that sees no contradiction between a live broadcasting device and a centuries-old Bedouin identity.
These words are not about nostalgia, nor are they an emotional documentary about "beautiful heritage." Rather, they embody a pivotal moment in a modern digital world that is redefining Bedouin identity in the laboratories of TikTok, the spaces of X, and the markets of Etsy.
In the past, Bedouin culture was synonymous with stillness, with unchanging sand. Today, young people appear here in a live broadcast from deep within the desert talking about Najdi henna, and a girl there teaches the southern dialect on an audio podcast, while a young man between them turns "the fur" into a global brand with a digital logo inscribed in Kufic script.
These are not just content clips; they are narrative kernels of an identity that is redefining itself. Bedouin content no longer reaches us as a "heritage entity," after the children of the desert have transformed into digital actors who preserve narratives and turn them into an economy.
The term "Digital Nomads" is prevalent in Western cultures, but here it carries a completely different flavor. Here, it does not only mean working from the beach, but also working from the land, near ancient water resources, and from the depths of heritage. Young Saudis program from inside a tent and design their business logos on the sandy ground.
This paradox is not accidental. A new awareness is sprouting from the old soil, planting seeds for a more complex tomorrow. The Bedouin identity here is not remnants, but a resource, a platform, and a file that can be continuously updated.
The new generation does not document heritage through books or seminars, but through 15 seconds of a recorded "reel" or a series of tweets. It is said that "history is written by the powerful," but today history is being re-produced by the visible.
The girl who weaves a traditional rug and shares its stages on Instagram does not just preserve heritage; she rewrites it in her own voice. The young man who ties a she-camel in the background of a programming video does not beautify the scene; he expands the boundaries of what is considered "contemporary."
The question here is not: Has Bedouin culture been lost? But rather: Where is it heading as it is reborn on OLED screens?
Some conservatives look on with suspicion, and some academics see it as a fleeting phenomenon. But the undeniable truth is that a digital Bedouin economy is growing. There is an audience buying silver agals through an online store and learning how to prepare "jameed" from a 4K video.
Official entities have not distanced themselves from this transformation, as several government bodies have provided physical spaces for it. In Jeddah, King Abdulaziz University launched a project using geomatics technologies to create an interactive virtual tour in virtual reality in the heart of the historic Al-Balad district, featuring its UNESCO-listed landmarks and buildings, supported by spatial data and analyses for investors and users. The Culture Authority also collaborated with the Falcon Vez incubator to document heritage sites with 3D models and virtual representations of locations like AlUla, Al-Balad, Madain Saleh, and sacred places. These tools not only nurture heritage but also broadcast it to the world in the language of digital nature. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture launched the immersive national cultural platform — the world's first metaverse museum — with historical tours through virtual reality, including musical performances and an educational interface.
In other initiatives, a clear equation has emerged: a Bedouin village broadcast live, in the language of the present. On Reddit, we find initiatives like the "Khaleeji Digital Heritage Project," where young engineers and artists have joined forces to digitally redesign heritage sites using 3D printers and free design tools. Here, a cultural and technological birth is beginning, starting from the melodies of Bedouin colors and extending globally through the internet.
In the shadows of the sprawling sands, but among the layers of digital clouds, a new identity is rising. It has not abandoned the tent, but has redesigned it. It has not forsaken the "shiba," but now ignites it in a live broadcast. It has not hidden in the desert, but has built parallel worlds on its sands, open and transcending barriers. Thus, the "Bedouins of the future" affirm that they are not just a digital generation, but heirs of narrative and active shapers, residing on the sand and soaring in the cloud.
No one from the first generation of the past ever imagined that the saddle of a camel would be replaced by a smartphone camera, nor that the language of "mugnas" and "qateen" would be preserved in the memory of digital servers after having lived captive in the hearts of men. This is neither alienation nor abandonment. It is a scene of transformation, led by a new generation that sees no contradiction between a live broadcasting device and a centuries-old Bedouin identity.
These words are not about nostalgia, nor are they an emotional documentary about "beautiful heritage." Rather, they embody a pivotal moment in a modern digital world that is redefining Bedouin identity in the laboratories of TikTok, the spaces of X, and the markets of Etsy.
In the past, Bedouin culture was synonymous with stillness, with unchanging sand. Today, young people appear here in a live broadcast from deep within the desert talking about Najdi henna, and a girl there teaches the southern dialect on an audio podcast, while a young man between them turns "the fur" into a global brand with a digital logo inscribed in Kufic script.
These are not just content clips; they are narrative kernels of an identity that is redefining itself. Bedouin content no longer reaches us as a "heritage entity," after the children of the desert have transformed into digital actors who preserve narratives and turn them into an economy.
The term "Digital Nomads" is prevalent in Western cultures, but here it carries a completely different flavor. Here, it does not only mean working from the beach, but also working from the land, near ancient water resources, and from the depths of heritage. Young Saudis program from inside a tent and design their business logos on the sandy ground.
This paradox is not accidental. A new awareness is sprouting from the old soil, planting seeds for a more complex tomorrow. The Bedouin identity here is not remnants, but a resource, a platform, and a file that can be continuously updated.
The new generation does not document heritage through books or seminars, but through 15 seconds of a recorded "reel" or a series of tweets. It is said that "history is written by the powerful," but today history is being re-produced by the visible.
The girl who weaves a traditional rug and shares its stages on Instagram does not just preserve heritage; she rewrites it in her own voice. The young man who ties a she-camel in the background of a programming video does not beautify the scene; he expands the boundaries of what is considered "contemporary."
The question here is not: Has Bedouin culture been lost? But rather: Where is it heading as it is reborn on OLED screens?
Some conservatives look on with suspicion, and some academics see it as a fleeting phenomenon. But the undeniable truth is that a digital Bedouin economy is growing. There is an audience buying silver agals through an online store and learning how to prepare "jameed" from a 4K video.
Official entities have not distanced themselves from this transformation, as several government bodies have provided physical spaces for it. In Jeddah, King Abdulaziz University launched a project using geomatics technologies to create an interactive virtual tour in virtual reality in the heart of the historic Al-Balad district, featuring its UNESCO-listed landmarks and buildings, supported by spatial data and analyses for investors and users. The Culture Authority also collaborated with the Falcon Vez incubator to document heritage sites with 3D models and virtual representations of locations like AlUla, Al-Balad, Madain Saleh, and sacred places. These tools not only nurture heritage but also broadcast it to the world in the language of digital nature. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture launched the immersive national cultural platform — the world's first metaverse museum — with historical tours through virtual reality, including musical performances and an educational interface.
In other initiatives, a clear equation has emerged: a Bedouin village broadcast live, in the language of the present. On Reddit, we find initiatives like the "Khaleeji Digital Heritage Project," where young engineers and artists have joined forces to digitally redesign heritage sites using 3D printers and free design tools. Here, a cultural and technological birth is beginning, starting from the melodies of Bedouin colors and extending globally through the internet.
In the shadows of the sprawling sands, but among the layers of digital clouds, a new identity is rising. It has not abandoned the tent, but has redesigned it. It has not forsaken the "shiba," but now ignites it in a live broadcast. It has not hidden in the desert, but has built parallel worlds on its sands, open and transcending barriers. Thus, the "Bedouins of the future" affirm that they are not just a digital generation, but heirs of narrative and active shapers, residing on the sand and soaring in the cloud.
