A variety of events have taken place in Dundee and further afield during this Centenary year.
Tuesday 13 January 2015
Unveiling of Commemorative Bronze Plaque. The plaque will be revealed in an unveiling ceremony taking place 100 years to the day since her death, January 13.
Tuesday 13 January 2015 – Saturday 30 May 2015
Photography competition- African connections to Dundee. This competition is organised by the Dyer craft of Dundee. Students in primary, junior and senior schools will all have the chance to submit their best photographs to be judged. Details have been sent out to all schools in the area.
Tuesday 13 January 2015 – Saturday 30 May 2015
Short Story Competition for S2 pupils in all City of Dundee Secondary Schools and the High School of Dundee. It’s time for you to reach for your pens and snap up the chance to win some fabulous prizes with this short story writing competition, organised by The Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee. Entries must be submitted by the 20th March. Details have been sent to all schools in the area.
Tuesday 3 March 2015
Dundee Arts Cafe: Mary Slessor- No Ordinary Missionary with Ruth Kirkpatrick. As part of their monthly event, the McManus Galleries will be hosting a Mary Slessor themed evening with guest speaker Ruth Kirkpatrick from 6 – 7 pm. Next to the stained glass window depicting the works of Mary Slessor in the McManus Galleries Cafe, Ruth Kirkpatrick will share with the audience the struggles and acheivements of this remarkable woman. http://www.dundeeartscafe.co.uk/events-calendar/
Thursday 5 March 2015
Guest Lecture as part of Dundee Women’s Festival. At 11 am, Thursday 5 March, a guest lecture will take place at the Dundee and Angus College, Gardyne Campus as part of Dundee Women’s Festival. A talk will be given by chairman of the Mary Slessor Foundation, Doug Binnie, telling of the work of the Mary Slessor Foundation in Calabar, Nigeria, and the challenges it faces, comparing it to the work of Mary Slessor, an extraodinary woman.
Sunday 8 March 2015
International Women’s Day, Spotlight Talk -National Museums Scotland. National Museums Scotland are hosting a Spotlight Talk event in the NMS auditorium. The event will take place on International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th of March from 2.30pm until 4pm and will be ticketed and free.
April – September 2015
Mary Slessor Exhibition at The Steeple Church – Dundee to Calabar. The life, work and legacy of Mary Slessor told through photographs, storyboard, letters, newspaper articles and artefacts. For opening times check here.
Saturday 11 April 2015 – Saturday 31 October 2015
Mary Slessor Exhibition at Verdant Works: Scotland’s Jute Museum. This exhibition will tell the story of Mary Slessor, setting her life within the scene of a poverty stricken Dundee and the dangerous jungles of Calabar, where disease posed as much a threat as the violent tribes. The exhibition will be launching on 11 April, 2015 and will feature there for 6 months. Click here for more information.
Sunday 12 April 2015
10.30am Service at the Steeple Church with guest preacher the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. After the service a dedication will be given by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland at the site of the new commemorative plaque on the grass area outside the church. A procession will follow where wreaths will be lain, and an informal service given.
Wednesday 15 April 2015 – Friday 17 April 2015
The play ‘Mother Of All The Peoples’ will be returning one last time and will be shown at the Dundee Rep Theatre for three evenings. Tickets for this production are now on sale from the Dundee Rep Box Office – call 01382 223530 and book your ticket as a gift or for yourself now. With humour and pathos ‘Mother of all the Peoples’ tells the story of Mary Slessor’s journey from working 58 hours a week in a jute mill, in the slums of Dundee, to the darkest jungles of Calabar, Nigeria, where danger and disease lurked around every corner.
Saturday 18 April 2015
“Mary Slessor and the Scottish Mission”- Billy Kay. As part of the very successful University of Dundee Saturday Night Lecture series, Writer and Broadcaster Billy Kay has been invited to deliver an illustrated talk. The lecture will start at 6pm, to be followed by a drinks reception.
Tuesday 16 June 2015
Sheila Tennant Awards at Dundee West Church in the spirit of Mary Slessor.
In the Sheila Tennant Awards in the spirit of Mary Slessor, we pay tribute to two enlightened and creative women who trusted humanity to deliver progress. Sheila Tennant was an intelligent, creative woman of faith and she made a bequest to Dundee West Church in support of its work with the community. The awards are her legacy. Mary Slessor was a dynamic inspiration for down to earth grass-roots Christianity and for those who wanted to do things a bit differently. She was not afraid of change or grasping opportunity.
Saturday 18 July 2015
African Praise and Gospel Mega Concert at the Caird Hall Dundee, from 6.00pm to 9.00pm Tickers will be £5, £3 for concessions and will be available from the Caird Hall box office, City Square Dundee. Dance and drama performances by the Afro-Scottish Heritage Drama Group, Dundee Mass Choir and guest artistes. A play will also be performed abuot Mary Slessor.
Tuesday 27 October 2015 – Sunday 1 November 2015
“The Four Marys”- Dundee Literary Festival. In the 2015 Dundee Literary Festival a play will be performed entitled “The Four Marys” As the dawn rises on 2015, Dundee emerges from its industrial past to a new era. Four Marys- Slessor, Brooksbank, Walker and Baxter, each helped shape the city in their different ways and they meet in a disused jute mill to discuss their roles in creating the Dundee that is spread out before them. The good, the bad and the ugly truth will be revealed in this new play developed for the Mary Slessor Centenary. This play is supported by the University of Dundee. For more information contact a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk.
