What is the world coming to when the seeds of love for history and respect for personalities do not grow in the hearts of many? What legacy can we leave to future generations when detachment and unscrupulousness proliferate?

General Cemetery of Camagüey, I invite you to travel closing your eyes… How many vaults do not house the history that preceded us, the one in which we were not participants, how many personalities rest there inscribing unforgettable pages in all areas of life; how many relatives are part of that last resting place.

General Cemetery, yes, the oldest in use in Cuba; sacred place where sensitivity should prevail; but it’s not like that…

Time and history

For more than three years the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city has been intervening in this place, together with self-employed workers, students from the Francisco Sánchez Betancourt trade school and the Community Directorate.

In all this time, effort and resources have been made available to safeguard that heritage that reflects the urban memory and identity of many eras; although acts of vandalism continue to weigh down the work.

From walk to talk

A few days ago one of the specialists from the Office that works in front of the intervention of the Cemetery, Arisleida Ruffing Linares, noticed that the bronze letters that are part of the epitaph of the teacher Vicentina de la Torre and the unforgettable sonero Nené Álvarez, were detached and in the case of Nene; the N had already disappeared.

Several of the guards explained that it could be the wind; but according to Arisleida, the resin with which these bronze letters were glued is of a proven quality of exposure to the sun, humidity and rain; climate components of this place.

In conclusion, unscrupulous people inside or outside the place continue to attack historical memory, and despite the vigilance of our specialists, the N that is part of the epitaph of Nené was lost; meanwhile, the detached letters could be collected for later placement.

This event brings many feelings: sadness, disappointment, and more than ever the call to all who are part of the great family that has been created to continue preserving the funerary heritage of our Camagüey, which is also part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

Yes, times are complex as have been all those that throughout humanity man has had to face with the lack of elemental values ​​such as the sense of belonging and respect.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García