On July 7th, 2008, a part of the Historic Center of Camagüey city was included in the list of Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
That day the news spread rapidly in the city and without any summons, the people of Camagüey went to the Ignacio Agramonte Park to celebrate the event.
World Heritage Status is not set in stone. There are precedents such as the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, the Elbe Valley in Germany and the city of Liverpool where it has been removed; therefore, the declaration brought with it challenges and responsibilities for all Camagüeyans and in a significant way for the City Historian’s Office, as the administrative entity of the patrimonial asset.
“The most complicated thing is for people to understand that they live in a place with exceptional conditions that does not admit behaviors that are not consistent with that heritage. But that is difficult and there are examples that demonstrate it, such as the pedestrianization of some arteries of the Historic Center that not only do some citizens not understand what this means for themselves, but there are authorities, including technical ones, who continue to think that the streets of a city like this are made for the vehicle and it is not. They were designed fundamentally for animal-drawn means of transportation”, comments José Rodríguez Barreras, Director of the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city.
Actions for our heritage
With the passing of the years, various constructive interventions have been undertaken in the city with the aim of preserving and enhancing its heritage values. From changes of uses compatible with the value of a property, to the intervention of public spaces, such as the rehabilitation process in Maceo Street and the pedestrianization of arteries such as República.
“An important effort has been made so that people take care of what they have, because by taking care of those values they are taking care of their business, because whoever is going to visit it will also appreciate the heritage. We have a lot to learn, a lot to communicate and a lot to do. As someone once said that Camagüey had the great challenge of learning to live in a heritage city”, adds Rodríguez Barreras.
The development of the city must go hand in hand with the respect, conservation and enhancement of heritage values, they cannot be separate processes. For this reason, it is the responsibility of all the inhabitants to preserve the legacy of this city, which after a little more than five hundred years continues to teach us that the past and modernity can coexist with responsibility and pride.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
