Chef Jamie Oliver withdraws his children’s book from bookstores after receiving a barrage of criticism for his vision of indigenous Australia

Chef Jamie Oliver has withdrawn his latest children’s book from the market after criticism received for stereotyping indigenous Australian communities. The literary publication also contained errors made by mixing different indigenous languages.

The book titled ‘Billy and the Epic Scape’, which was published last May, contains a passage in which an Australian Aboriginal girl living in foster care is kidnapped by the villain of the history, a delicate topic in a country where indigenous children were forcibly separated from their parents for decades. Oliver’s publisher, Penguin Random House, did not immediately respond to the international agencies’ request for comment.

Sue-Anne Hunter, who sits on a government commission into injustices against native peoples in Victoria state, called the book’s depictions “insensitive”«. In addition, he expressed his concern through a publication on his social networks: “The publication of Jamie Oliver’s children’s book represents a deeply worrying example of how indigenous peoples continue to face misrepresentation and cultural appropriation in traditional media.” .

As reported by The Guardian newspaper this Sunday, Oliver has apologizedfor the offenses that its publication has caused. The chef expressed his regret in a statement: “It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful topic. Together with my editors we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.