The cultural community of Santa Clara is mourning the death of Crespo Jacomino, popularly known as "El Animal" and regarded for years as one of the inseparable figures of El Mejunje.
The news of his passing spread this Wednesday through social media, where friends, artists, and people connected to the iconic Santa Clara venue have shared farewell messages.
So far, the cause of his death has not been made public. Close acquaintances mentioned on social media that he had been hospitalized for several weeks.
Crespo was not merely a regular presence at El Mejunje in Santa Clara. He was part of that large family that its founder, Ramón Silverio Gómez, managed to gather over decades around one of the most unique cultural spaces in Cuba.
The theater director Freddys Núñez Estenoz summed it up in just four words: "Crespo is El Mejunje."
Those who frequented the place remember that he was often one of the first people they encountered upon arriving. He also used to occupy the front row when house artists performed.
"Star... what can I do for you?" and "Star... tonight I'm sitting in the front row to see your show" were some of his usual phrases, Núñez Estenoz recalled.
Upon hearing of his death, the director wrote: "What a painful piece of news to start the day... LIGHT FOR HIS SOUL!"
"A great part of the soul of the Mejunje left with him."
Goodbyes reflect the affection that Crespo ignited among several generations of residents of Santa Clara.
" I will miss you, Crespo Jacomino, with all the strength of my soul. What a pain," wrote the theater actress Lizandra Martin Martin.
Tobi Thiele rated him as "a legend of Santa Clara," while the Cuban tres player Maykel Elizarde Ruano remembered him as "a great friend and loyal collaborator, an activist of Mejunje."
"Much of the soul of the Mejunje went with him," lamented Víctor Jimcavik.
Other testimonies also remember him as a well-known figure within the metal scene of Santa Clara, another example of his connection with the various communities that have found refuge in that cultural space for years.
El Mejunje was founded by Silverio Gómez in 1984 and became a meeting point for theater, trova, rock, and other artistic expressions, as well as a space for inclusion for historically marginalized groups, especially the LGBTIQ+ community.
In May, Silverio once again led the march for diversity in Santa Clara from El Mejunje.
The death of Crespo now leaves a hard-to-explain void for those who knew the place with him in it. As one of his friends wrote, a piece of the soul of El Mejunje left with him.
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