The anniversary of a date that for all Cubans has a special significance is approaching: February 24th. If the historical fact of the new beginning of the struggles for the independence of Cuba is important, the people of Camagüey also celebrate an important event that day, the creation of the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city (OHCC).

26 years ago, the OHCC came to strengthen the team of organizations and institutions that had been dealing up to that moment with the care, preservation and protection of the heritage -both tangible and intangible- of this town that has so many values and that we all have the obligation to bequeath to future generations; much more since a fragment of its Historic Center was granted the status of Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

With special pleasure, I remember my beginnings at the Office in June 1999. Around these days, someone asked me about the anecdotes I kept; to which I replied: “an infinity and of all kinds…” You can imagine how long I could have lived in almost twenty years. And I continue to live because, although I am no longer part of the institution’s staff, I continue to be its fervent admirer and collaborator.

If it is about anecdotes, there is one that perhaps not even my colleagues know how deeply that gesture touched me, and with the special affection that I remember it; In addition, it says a lot about the human quality of the people who work there.

I mean my farewell. I had two: one from the Board of Directors -of which I was a part-, and another, from my closest co-workers. Everything happened there, from such pleasant surprises as giving me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and offering me very nice words that I will never forget, even a musical group that performed songs from the Prodigious Decade, my favorites.

As if that were not enough, I also had the presence of many workers there who, even though they were not part of that group at that time, were very close to me, and I had a very close relationship with them during my working life.

That is why this year I once again thank its director, who thought of me to share the work that we had ahead of us in those early years. It was an opportunity that I took up with successes and failures. Today, I also want to thank everyone who in one way or another trusted me and made me so happy for so long.

Over and over again I thank life, which has given me so much, and the Office of the Historian for existing.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García