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Saudi National Culture Strategy to Reinforce, Grow Local Innovation

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan during the launching of the national strategy for culture. SPA
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan during the launching of the national strategy for culture. SPA
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Saudi National Culture Strategy to Reinforce, Grow Local Innovation

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan during the launching of the national strategy for culture. SPA
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan during the launching of the national strategy for culture. SPA

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan has unveiled a set of new initiatives designed to transform and reinforce the cultural sector into an essential part of life in the Kingdom.

The transformation is set to aid local cultural innovation.

Speaking before a crowd of Arab delegates, officials, intellectuals, diplomats and local and international media, Prince Badr reaffirmed on Wednesday that the ministry had adopted the motion after months-long preparation and due process, ever since King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued the decree for establishing the culture ministry on July 2, 2018.

The ministry “intends to create an environment that supports national talents in all areas and sectors, and to preserve the country’s culture and wealth,” he said.

“Our country is proud of its innovators and talents who, with their works, have reached unprecedented heights and won important awards,” he said at the ceremony.

Highlighting the importance of support presented by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Badr noted that the transformation strategy “marks a turning point in the history of our nation. It is rare that a nation undergoes such a massive revival of its culture, and that is exactly what is happening.”

“The transformation of arts and culture will benefit all Saudis, young and old, from every corner of our country. It will help build bridges of understanding,” he added.

“For our children, we will build a Saudi Arabia where their creative spirits can flourish, confident in their past, stepping out into the future and into the world.”

The Saudi Cabinet, a day earlier, had upheld recommendations made by the Council of Economic Affairs and Development on approving the National Culture Strategy.

The strategy will include a range of policies and initiatives, as well as a summary of the culture ministry’s previous efforts to develop the cultural sector and make it an important contributor to the national economy.

Cultural reinvigoration in the Kingdom had began with the launch of Vision 2030 by the Crown Prince in 2016.

By 2039, the culture ministry is looking to have its sector contribute 3 percent of the GDP.

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Scientist Bottles Smell of Bones to Help Solve Cold Cases

Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Scientist Bottles Smell of Bones to Help Solve Cold Cases

Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman

A Belgian research scientist is working with the federal police to create a scent that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains.

Clement Martin has already isolated the smell of decomposing human flesh and that is now used to train Belgium's cadaver dogs.

But once the soft tissue has disappeared, the scent molecules of the remaining bones become significantly fewer, scientific researcher Martin told Reuters.

"Bones smell different over the years too. A 3-year-old bone will smell different to a 10-year-old one and even 20 years," he said.

Skeletal remains are porous too and absorb smells from the surrounding environment, from the soil to pine trees.

"In the situation of cold cases, there was a gap. Our dogs were not able to find dried bones," Kris Cardoen, head of federal police dog training, told Reuters.

At a police training centre outside Brussels, inspector Kristof Van Langenhove and his springer spaniel Bones demonstrated part of the training with Martin's corpse scent.

Cardoen hid some tissues between cinder blocks and only contaminated a few. The dog then barked when he found the smell.

"The scent of death is one of the three tools we use during the basic training of our human remains dog," Cardoen said.

Cadaver dogs require 1,000 hours of training and the country only ever has four at any one time.

Martin is using different samples of dried bones to develop the smell, including those of an unidentified man found in a suitcase, which are kept in a glass cylinder to allow the molecules to permeate an enclosed space ready for extraction.

"It's a bit like a perfumer developing his perfume, he's going to mix different aromas," Martin said.