El Mejunje ( Spanish for ''The Mixture''), also known as El Mejunje de Silverio after the surname of its founder and director, Ramón Silverio,An interview to Ramón Silverio
( BBC Mundo)Article about Ramón Silverio and "El Mejunje"
/ref> is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n LGBT cultural center and space located in the city of Santa Clara. It lies on the central ''Calle Marta Abreu'', near the corner with ''Calle Juan Bruno Zayas'', close to the

Parque Vidal Parque Vidal (also known by its previous names of Plaza Central and Plaza Mayor) is a park located in the center of Santa Clara, Cuba, covering an entire square block of the city. Due to its surrounding architecture, combining eclectic neo-classi ...

and La Caridad Theatre, next to the Saint Claire of Assisi Cathedral.

History

Created as a simple gathering of

bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

and intellectuals, the centre grew as multifaceted and unconventional

cultural space In anthropology and geography, a cultural region, cultural sphere, cultural area or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associated ...

. It was installed in the ruins of an old hotel and started its activities in 1985. People related to the centre are colloquially known as ''Mejunjeros''.

Cultural activities

The "Mejunje" is an

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

cultural centre, involved into several social campaigns, as the ones on

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

prevention, against

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

and

social discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...

. As for the meaning of its name and the purposes of its founder, El Mejunje is not a simple

gay club A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once served ...

: it is conceived as an open space shared by everyone independently of

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

, to promote

social integration Social integration is the process during which newcomers or minorities are incorporated into the social structure of the host society. Social integration, together with economic integration and identity integration, are three main dimensions of ...

. The activities of the centre include a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, a

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

, an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

in the second roof and a little

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

in which are held concerts of various musical genres, ranging from

rock'n roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

to Cuban folk music. The activities also include social and cultural initiatives of interest to both children and adults, film screenings, and the ''Gay Saturday'' disco every Saturday night.Article
on ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

Gallery

File:El Mejunje (graffiti).jpg, Detail of the facade with

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

File:El Mejunje and Santa Clara de Asís Cathedral.jpg, View of El Mejunje with the Cathedral in background File:El Mejunje de Silverio (june 2012).jpg, A music concert in the inner open space

References

External links

Article about the Mejunje on ''The Havana Reporter''Article about the Mejunje on ''La Habana.com''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mejunje LGBT culture in Cuba Buildings and structures in Santa Clara, Cuba Tourist attractions in Santa Clara, Cuba Cultural organizations based in Cuba Theatres in Cuba Art museums and galleries in Cuba LGBT drinking establishments Coffeehouses and cafés Cuban music 1985 establishments in Cuba 20th-century architecture in Cuba

History

Cultural activities

Gallery

See also

References

External links