News Americas, New York, NY, Thursday. October 17, 2024: UK rapper Central Cee, who has Guyanese roots, has made a generous donation of £15,000 to help Umana Yana, a struggling Guyanese restaurant in South East London. Central Cee, born Oakley Neil Caesar-Su to a Guyanese father and Scottish mother, moved to support the business after learning about its challenges through a viral TikTok video.
Umana Yana, located at 294 Croxted Rd, SE24 9DA, has struggled for more than a decade, particularly after the installation of five large telecom boxes directly outside the restaurant, which significantly hampered business. The plight of restaurant owners Debbie Monfries and her husband Junior gained attention after a journalist shared their story on TikTok, sparking widespread community support.
Upon seeing the viral video, Central Cee visited the restaurant, spending the day learning to cook traditional Guyanese dishes such as roti, callaloo and curry alongside Monfries and her staff. After enjoying a meal of roti and curry, the rapper expressed his admiration for the food, greeting her.
Monfries later received a surprise message from Central Cee, announcing his donation of £15,000-£10,000 to help the restaurant install solar panels and an additional £5,000 to support the local community.
Central Cee rose to fame in 2020 with his singles “Day in the Life” and “Loading”, and his career has been on the rise ever since. His mixes Wild West AND 23 both debuted in the top two of the UK Albums Chart. In 2022, his single “I Wanted” became the most streamed UK rap song on Spotify and in 2023, his collaboration with Dave on “Sprinter” achieved his first UK number one hit.
See Central Cee’s cooking HERE
For more on Umana Yana, visit: umanayana.co.uk
