Herne Hill’s Guyanese eatery Umana Yana is hosting an event this Saturday to mark their astonishing 13 year struggle to remove five massive telecom boxes that block the front of their business.
In collaboration with Brixton-based sound system collective, Stack Up Sound, Umana Yana will be raising awareness of their campaign and welcoming supporters to the restaurant with a day of music and food.
The free event will feature a selection of artists and DJs will be performing, including Umana Yana’s co-owner Junior. Other guests include: Shumba Youth, Big Chris, Rydigan, Mighty Intrudet.
Since 2012, the Guyanese eatery has been in the shadow of five large telecom boxes that obstruct its view from the street on Croxted Road.
Owners Debbie and Junior have said the business has been “massively affected” by the boxes, with customers unable to see the restaurant behind the boxes unless they are on the top of a double decker bus.
A post by this newspaper on our TikTok went viral in 2022, capturing the attention of popular rapper Central Cee, who has Guyanese heritage.
Central Cee was so touched when we highlighted Debbie and Junior’s plight on Tik Tok that he visited Umana Yana, learnt how to cook Guyanese food, and donated £15,000.
In a video shot by VICE he explains that £10,000 is to buy the solar panels she has been fundraising for, to lower her sky-high electricity bills and £5,000 for meals for people who need it in the community.
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After years of asking Helen Hayes for help the Dulwich and West Norwood MP finally brought a petition calling for the removal of the boxes to the House of Commons in February this year, after it was signed by over 1,700 locals.
However, despite six months passing there is yet to be an update from the House of Commons.
The petition not only asked for the boxes to be removed but also for the government to bring forward laws to ensure this doesn’t happen in future to other businesses.
In addition, it demanded that businesses be ‘duly compensated’ by telecom companies for any disruption caused.
The government has two months to consider the petition and the News will follow up with the MP asking why there has been no update and what’s the delay, since an answer was due in April.
When we last asked MP Hayes what she had done to help Umana Yana over last decade, she said: “During that time, the focus has been on understanding the process that led to the cabinets being installed, seeking legal advice on the installation and lobbying the telecommunications companies who are responsible for the cabinets.”
Last year Southwark Council refused Debbie and Junior’s long-standing request to have the boxes removed, a decision that Debbie described as heartbreaking.
The council just implemented a policy that limits the development rights of telecommunication companies, meaning they will have to request planning permission to erect any future infrastructure – but that doesn’t help Debbie and Junior.
Date: Saturday 25 October
Time: 12 – 10pm
Location: Umana Yana, 294 Croxted Rd, London SE24 9DA
