Juan Carlos González Marcos, popularly known as Pánfilo, died on Thursday in El Vedado, Havana, after years of physical decline, poverty, and neglect. The news was confirmed by people close to him. He rose to fame in 2009 by interrupting a street interview shouting “jama!”, a Cuban slang for food that came to symbolize the island's hardships.
Juan Carlos González Marcos, known as Pánfilo, died on Thursday in El Vedado, a neighborhood in Havana. People close to him confirmed the news, noting his years of physical decline, extreme poverty, alcoholism, and illness.
Pánfilo gained notoriety in 2009 during a street interview about reggaeton in Havana. Visibly intoxicated, he burst in shouting “jama!”, capturing in one word the urgent need for food—not just his own, but shared by many in Cuba. “Jama” refers to food, particularly solid food, from the verb “jamar” meaning “to eat,” with roots in caló and common in Cuban Spanish.
The video spread rapidly via mobile phones, USB drives, and word of mouth, at a time when internet access was scarce on the island. His outburst—a mix of complaint, plea, and street bravado—encapsulated a national experience of scarcity.
Over the years, Pánfilo became a reference point for hardship and survival. He reappeared several times repeating his call for “jama,” underscoring ongoing challenges. In September 2023, those close to him warned he was living nearly on the streets, ill, and in need of basics like clothing and shoes.
His life mirrored the rawness of his original cry. The death was first reported by 14ymedio and translated by Havana Times.
