Somali Musuem
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Support a home for the Somali Museum: 12 Cable Street

When the last remaining Somali café on Cable Street, a significant cultural landmark for our community, was converted into the now infamous Jack the Ripper Museum in 2015, Somali voices across London joined the roars of protest.

Now, five years later, the building has returned to the market. We are in discussions with the current owners and have been presented with a once-in-a-generation chance for the Somali community to reclaim a building central to our heritage and claim a significant cultural landmark for London’s Black history. We seek to convert the site into a physical hub for Numbi Arts’ long-awaited Somali Museum.

Contact us

For more information about supporting the Museum:
Email: development@britishmuseum.org
Phone: +44 (0)20 7323 8933

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The Need

In our campaign to found and open the UK’s Somali Museum we have attracted many supporters and followers – such as yourselves – from across the charity, arts, local government and heritage sectors. We are confident that, with time, we can raise the funds needed to secure the building and convert the space for community use.

But we need you, our beloved supporters, to make your endorsement of this project clear by writing letters of recommendation and adding your signatures to petitions.

We haven’t much time. We are asking Mayor Biggs of Tower Hamlets Council and the Greater London Authority to use their executive powers and positions of influence to:

  • Impose a heritage injunction on the auction, allowing Numbi Arts the time to secure funding to make a credible offer to secure the property.
  • Purchase the building, allowing Numbi Arts time to secure the needed funds to create the Somali Museum. Tower Hamlets, either at auction or through a compulsory purchase order, could buy the space and give Numbi Arts a timetable within which to raise funds to purchase the building back from the Local Authority.
  • Nominate 12 Cable Street as an Asset of Community Value.

This would give Numbi Arts the legal right to bid to buy 12 Cable Street and take over the site to create the Somali Museum.

Making the most of this unique opportunity will not be possible without the positive intervention of, and support from, Tower Hamlets, allowing us time to create a full business plan for the space while securing both short and longer-term funding. 

Without these interventions, we risk losing a critical heritage landmark forever. Please let Tower Hamlets know that you back our proposal and want to ensure this exciting opportunity isn’t lost to London.

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