‘Mimi’ marks a cultural journey
WINTER MAY have arrived in Wexford but a little corner of The Book Centre was focused on the dry heat of Australia one recent Saturday afternoon as Ruth Allen’s Aborigine-inspired book ‘Mimi’ was launched.
Ruth, prompted by the fact that all of her grandchildren were in Australia at the time, started painting in the Aboriginal style in January 2016.
From there, she began to research the culture and the end result is the book ‘Mimi’ that focuses on stories of kinship and community within the native Australian culture.
Ruth, who is involved with a variety of groups locally, said the launch went very well, with pockets of people from her various hobbies turning out to support her.
‘I did a few readings and sold a few books; it was a lovely event,’ said Ruth, who admitted that she had printed just a few hundred copies of the book and said it had never been a commercial project.
‘It was something I did for me. It owes me nothing and it was never about making money. It was about the adventure I had while creating it.’
The book is for sale in The Book Centre and Ruth believes that it would make a nice and unique Christmas gift for anyone interested in other cultures.
‘There is such a big focus on cultural diversity at the moment. It’s nice to see something that’s a positive exploration of that.’