(L-R) Jane Wright, Amelia Huw Morgan, Isabel Joely Black, Melanie Ramdarshan Bold and Steve Nash. CC BY-SA

Back in May the team behind Something Good threw a birthday party for the Moomins. Created by Finish artist Tove Jansson, these whimsical, hippo-like creatures have now been delighting children and adults alike for 80 years. And in this time of profound global refugee crisis, they feel like appropriate – if unexpected – heroes for the modern age.

Jansson wrote the very first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during the second world war. The story tells how the Moomin family have been displaced and separated by natural disaster. Moomintroll and his mother must traverse unfamiliar lands and encounter strange creatures as they search to find their lost Moominpappa.

The event was held at the National Science and Media Museum’s Pictureville Cinema in Bradford. The city was a fitting choice – an official City of Sanctury, it is also host to one of four installations unveiled to mark the anniversary, What Will We Do Without Exile by Palestinian artist Basel Zaraa.

Peace studies expert Becky Alexis-Martin from the University of Bradford opened the night with a thought-provoking talk on the Moomins, the refugee theme and its connection to the city. As she explained:

When we talk about the Moomins today, we’re not just talking about nostalgia. We’re talking about stories that reflect lived realities for many in this city. For children whose parents crossed borders in search of safety, for families rebuilding after trauma, for anyone who has ever felt out of place and longed for welcome – the Moomins resonate.

A screening of Moomins On the Riviera then followed, accompanied by a panel discussion of the theme of the refugee crisis in Jansson’s work. Arts editor Jane Wright was joined by Isabel Joely Black, Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, Steve Nash and Amelia Huw Morgan in a lively discussion that also incorporated questions from the audience, ranging from the state of children’s publishing to “why don’t Moomins have nostrils?”.

We were delighted to sell more than 80 tickets to the event, and guests were gifted a free ebook of Conversation articles on Tove Jansson and her Moomin stories. This ebook is now also available to all readers of The Conversation. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed planning the series.

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