Jamie Oliver pulls children’s book after outcry from Indigenous Australians

British personage cook says he is ‘devastated’ his imagination book caused offence.

British personage cook Jamie Oliver has pulled his latest children’s book from waste aft complaints that it contributed to nan stereotyping of Indigenous Australians.

Oliver, who is successful Australia promoting his latest look book, said he was “devastated” that his imagination caller Billy And The Epic Escape had caused offence and he apologised “wholeheartedly”.

“It was ne'er my volition to misinterpret this profoundly achy issue,” Oliver, 49, said successful a statement.

“Together pinch my publishers we person decided to retreat nan book from sale.”

Publisher Penguin Random House said that its publishing standards “fell short connected this occasion” and “we must study from that and return decisive action”.

Set successful England, Billy and nan Epic Escape includes a subplot featuring an Indigenous woman who is abducted while surviving successful foster attraction successful Alice Springs successful cardinal Australia.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation, Australia’s highest assemblage for Indigenous education, led calls for nan book’s withdrawal, telling The Guardian news outlet nan book was “disrespectful” and contributed to nan “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”.

Indigenous figures besides criticised nan book for mixing together different Indigenous languages and discussing kid abduction, fixed nan history of nan “Stolen Generations,” referring to nan thousands of Indigenous children forcibly taken from their families and placed successful foster attraction nether policies that continued until nan 1970s.

“While Oliver has apologised, nan effect of specified misrepresentation connected First Nations children and communities cannot beryllium understated,” Sue-Anne Hunter, an Indigenous female and adjunct professor astatine Federation University successful Victoria, said successful a station connected Instagram.

“It perpetuates harmful stereotypes and risks reinforcing assemblage narratives astatine a clip erstwhile we should beryllium amplifying authentic Indigenous voices and stories.”

Oliver, who launched his first children’s book Billy And The Giant Adventure past year, is champion known for his cookbooks and food-related tv shows, including The Naked Chef, which ran for 3 seasons connected nan BBC from 1999 to 2001.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies