The city, the one that welcomes its own and foreign children, also needs someone to take care of it, who makes it shine and show its past with pride. Preserving and disseminating its culture, architecture, tiles and cobblestones is everyone’s job, but it is the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city that has not rested for 24 years with the objective of fulfilling this task.
Many are the works that have renewed the image of this city for more than 5 centuries. There are so many that they cannot all fit into just an article. However, we cannot fail to mention some of great social impact such as the inauguration of the Joaquín de Agüero Square, the restoration of the Ignacio Agramonte and Martí parks, the works in the General Cemetery, in the current Railway Museum and its pedestrian walkway, or Maceo and República streets. And what about the Workers Square, a place to which its essence has been returned, after being used for several years as an open-air parking lot. It is also of great importance the restoration of significant buildings such as the former Santa Cecilia Popular Society, today the Convention Center; or the birthplace of Carlos J. Finlay and the House of Cultural Diversity, awarded in 2011 with the National Restoration Prize.
“The time came when the historic center became an example, not only for the things that were done but for the people, for the technical teams, for all those professionals who worked on the different projects, preparing and gaining experience. Today many of them are Doctors of Science. They were the master minds of those works “, says José Rodríguez Barreras, director of the institution.
The Office, as a cultural institution, has also focused its efforts to preserve and enhance the soul of this city, through cultural projects and work strategies where communication has played an important role. The Arlequín Artistic Group, the Heritage Interpretation Center and the José Marín Varona Concert Hall or the Francisco Sánchez Betancourt School of Trades; they are only examples of the broad spectrum of institutional work in the artistic, social and educational fields.
In line with this goal, the Office has had the support of the highest authorities of the province, as well as many other entities that fight for a better preserved city. Citizen participation and its active role into each process are also vital, as a philosophy of action in the management and administration of the historic center.
One of the main strengths is the encouraging support of the unforgettable Eusebio Leal, who many times, without shaking off the dust of the road, as Martí would say, proudly went to check the tasks that were undertaken in a city that he also loved.
The task is not finished, it is eternal, and there is still too much work to do in order to take care of this legendary city that proudly displays, since 2008, a portion of its historic center declared a World Heritage Site.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
