‘Mary Slessor - No Ordinary Missionary’ – Dundee Arts Café on 3rd March

Published On Thu 26 Feb 2015 by Grant Hill

Renowned storyteller Ruth Kirkpatrick will combine biographical fact, song and personal insight to tell the tale of Mary Slessor’s remarkable life at the next Dundee Arts Café event.

‘Mary Slessor - No Ordinary Missionary’ takes place at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum on Tuesday, 3rd March.

Born in the North East of Scotland, Ruth Kirkpatrick has performed at Storytelling festivals all over the world, including India, Singapore, Iceland and Dubai. Her strength is in forming a warm rapport with her audience, respecting the tradition but giving her performance a personal, feisty sparkle.

Ruth said, “Mary Slessor was an Aberdeen quine, who moved to Dundee in the 1850’s when the mills were at their height and worked tirelessly with the Church to improve lives for the working class. She then moved on as a Missionary to ‘the Calabar’ in modern day Nigeria. Here she fought for the lives of children, women, and slaves; for human rights.

“She was brave and feisty, warm and untiring in her struggle. She also outlived all her family in Dundee despite the risks in the Calabar, also known as ‘The White Man’s Grave’. In the Calabar she is known still as ‘The Mother of all Peoples’, yet here her story is relatively unknown, despite her featuring on the Clydesdale Bank £5 note.”

Dundee Arts Café is a programme of talks showcasing arts research and developments taking place locally. The series is organised by the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, and Dundee City Council’s Leisure & Culture department.

Dundee Arts Café events enable members of the public to relax and discuss the arts, from English to History, Philosophy to Architecture, and Fine Art to Product Design, with some of the leading names carrying out work in these areas in Dundee.

The events last one hour, and speakers talk passionately about their work for 30 minutes before the floor is opened up to an informal discussion with the audience. All talks take place in The McManus Café, Albert Square, Dundee.

‘Mary Slessor - No Ordinary Missionary’ takes place at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum at 6pm on Tuesday, 3rd March. The event is free and open to all but limited seating means visitors are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

For more information about the event and Dundee Arts Cafe please visit www.DundeeArtsCafe.co.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277