By: Marianne Portuondo and Elena Rosales Caballero (journalism students)
After 506 years of his foundation, Camagüey city, previously known as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe, looks renewed, from a protective vision of the most indigenous heritage values present in this city.
In 1997, as part of this approach, the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city (OHCC, by its acronym in Spanish) was created, assuming an integrating model in heritage management. From that moment and almost immediately, the institution strengthens relations with the University of Camagüey Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz (UC, by its acronym in Spanish).
Nowadays, the Center for Studies of Conservation and Development of Constructions of the UC and the OHCC are working together on projects, focused on the rescue and enhancement of heritage properties and tangible and intangible cultural spaces, for the care and protection of the Historic Urban Center.
Subjects such as Heritage Conservation allow, from undergraduate to master’s degrees and other postgraduate modalities, the promotion of activities as a result of researches; in pursuit of the use of endogenous resources and vulnerability risk studies, always with the intention of seeking answers to the needs of the territory, said PhD. Adela García Yero, director of the aforementioned Study Center of Camagüey University.
This Center also participated in the file for the declaration of the Urban Historic Center of Camagüey as a World Heritage Site on July 7th, 2008, a category granted by UNESCO, based on the criteria of an exceptional example of an architectural complex that illustrates a significant historical period, and as an exceptional example of a traditional human habitat, representative of a culture and its interaction with the environment.
The Faculty of Construction have among its professors specialists from the OHCC, who incorporate from the academy the value of working in a singular Historic Center, at the same time that they design their own projects with the OHCC within the internship (Eg. conferences, tours, visits within the 54 hectares that comprise the historic center, national and international programs, among others).
The Heritage Management career is one of the fundamental links between the University and the Office. It was created in order to develop specialists more committed and trained with the needs of Camagüey’s heritage, while seeking to instill in students and future professionals knowledge aimed at disseminating, interpreting and preserving the values of our city in its many forms expression.
Also part of this UC-OHCC alliance, are the students of the English Language career, who, together with tutors from the Office itself and the UC, are in charge of translating into English the works that are published on the web site www.ohcamaguey.cu
One the objectives of the Communication Group of the Office and the Audiovisuales Príncipe project is that of fostering relationships with journalism students, both for work in social networks and the Information System, as well as for the realization of audiovisuals aimed at disseminating the care and preservation of the city and its memory.
Radio Príncipe, a radio project of the OHCC, includes magazines such as Frecuencia Universitaria in its programs, so that all those who pass through the historic center of the city, know about the work of both institutions.
Shared responsibility is a premise to be dealt with in events such as the International Symposium Challenge in the Management of Cities, a meeting convened by the OHCC and attended by specialists from UC where the results of the feedback between both centers (University and Office) are presented, in its desire to safeguard the sociocultural legacy.
Along with the Computerization of the current Cuban Society, the Computer Engineering career of the UC and the Office jointly develop applications such as: Centro Histórico Camagüey, which brings users closer to urban regulations and Camagüey Ciudad que vivo ciudad que soy, to promote the care of the locality.
The alliances between the nurturing mother, which is the University, and the Office of the Historian of Camagüey, is and will be crucial for the integral formation of conscientious professionals, capable of working in a thorough way in pursuit of our heritage; work aimed at the preservation of Camagüey city and its centuries of culture.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
