By: Alejandro García Gutiérrez & Sheila Barros Fals

The impact of COVID-19 was much greater in this 2021, however, that did not mean that the Office of the Historian stopped its work. Some of its workers adapted to teleworking, others were fully linked to the tasks of addressing the pandemic through active research and support for the vaccination campaign.

The construction works advanced despite the limitations; sites such as the Ignacio Agramonte Revolution Square Museum, the Cemetery Interpretation Center, the facilities in the headquarters building, which will support the development of the use of new technologies and the Railway Museum were the main works in this period; which are almost ready for their inauguration in 2022, the last three funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

These sites and the projects that will be carried out in them are of great interest to the province and the country, for this reason the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic, Jorge Luis Perdomo was briefed by José Rodríguez Barreras, director of the Office of the Historian, how these processes are progressing.

The construction works were not only carried out in places with a historical or sociocultural character, but also the social work had an important role. Examples of this were the restorations in the Bodega el Pozo de Gracia and in the home of a woman from Camagüey, a mother of four children, who lost much of the structure of her house after a fire.

Collaboration and projects

This 2021 was also fruitful in terms of collaboration projects, that of Creative Industries, co-financed by the European Union and the Portuguese institute Camoes, carried out by the non-governmental organizations CARE France and OIKOS in addition to the Historian’s Office did not stop and important progress steps were taken in organizing it through the First National Workshop of Creative Industries and with the visit in November of Jordi Teserrás Juan, president in Spain of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Similarly, the project “Support for the comprehensive development of boys and girls with Autism Spectrum disorder”, belonging to the Héroes del Moncada school in Camagüey ended with the presence of Hirata Kenji, Japanese ambassador to our country, Mark Kuster, founder of Camaquito and the director of the Office of the Historian of this city, representatives of the three entities that financed the project.

To communicate heritage

Communication management did not stop either and adjusted its dynamics to the current context. Audiovisuales Príncipes remained operational and produced various television and radio materials, in order to preserve the historical memory and in support of the actions of the Provincial Defense Council and the Temporary Work Group. Through our website and digital platforms, an important communication work was also developed, which served as the stage for holding events, activities, conferences and made visible not only the work of the institution, but also the measures adopted and other important provisions.

The virtual stage played a leading role in the realization of events such as Camaguey’s Culture Week and the ninth edition of the Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, as well as a number of activities broadcasted during the summer and the Day of Cuban Culture.

Closing the year

In November, in the context of the celebrations for the anniversary of the declaration of the city title; The collective photographic exhibition “12” was inaugurated and at the end of the year numbers 23 and 24 of the Senderos magazine were presented, the first dedicated to the Elda Cento Gómez National History Award and the second to El Mayor Ignacio Agramonte, both exclusively for this occasion in digital format.

With these and other actions of no less impact, such as the continuity of the heritage classrooms project, a busy year for the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city ended, a year in which, despite the effects of the pandemic, the workers of this institution demonstrated that the Revolution can always count on them regardless the difficult times that could come and put all their efforts to continue with the noble work that this institution undertakes, which is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García