Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Camagüey, Feb 24 - For the people of Camagüey, February 24th, in addition to commemorating the resumption of the Necessary War organized by José Martí, holds special symbolism.
On this date in 1912, the equestrian statue of Major General Ignacio AgramonteLoynaz was unveiled in what was then the city's Plaza de Armas.
"With the monument wrapped in a huge Cuban flag, a venerable old woman pulls the cord that ties the banner of the lone star. The bronze shines in the sun and the woman, moved, faints, so great was the resemblance..." It is AmaliaSimoni, widow of Ignacio, as the writings of the time tell.
"Undoubtedly, AmaliaSimoni was at this site; and very close by, Aurelia Castillo de González, the great friend of Ignacio Agramonte and also of Amalia. I believe it could not have been otherwise because Amalia, who died just a few years after the inauguration of the sculpture, was extremely faithful; and although we have not found documents that support what surrounded them at the moment of the inauguration, that anguish that some call, as if she suffered a fainting spell; I do believe it could have perfectly well happened.
And I believe that, besides being part of the legend and believing that legends and traditions are also historical documents of a locality, well, yes, it is reliably believable that it could have occurred. And what is certain and concrete is that those two ladies were there, very united, at such an important moment, not only for Camagüey, I would say for all of Cuba, because a whole day was established around the inauguration of the sculpture," relates historian Marcos Tamames.
Each year in the Agramonte Park, where the monument to "El Mayor" stands, a symbolic ceremony is held to remember that moment of February 24, 1912.
On February 24, 1997, 85 years after the inauguration of the sculptural ensemble dedicated to Ignacio AgramonteLoynaz, the Office of the Historian of the City of Camagüey (OHCC) was created, among whose purposes is to watch over the historical-cultural heritage to enhance the features of the Camagüeyan identity.
With this authority conferred by the Cuban State and through the combined efforts of its specialists, technicians, professionals, and workers, the rehabilitation of Agramonte Park, a space of historical and patriotic symbolism, was possible, delivering it for the enjoyment and care of present and future generations, whose oldest urban center was proclaimed, precisely at that site, a World Heritage Site, as recognized by Dr. Eusebio Leal.
"Perhaps never, as on that occasion, did we feel the intimate emotion of what Camagüey means for all Cubans, and particularly those who have been born here or have received that citizen's calling by adoption.
At the center of the square, the most beautiful monument in which two essential virtues are united, in he whom Céspedes defined as a diamond with the soul of a kiss. A definition that, although literal from José Martí, stems from the vision that the founding Father of the nation had of he who should be, without a doubt, despite all the agreements and disagreements, the powerful continuator of his ideas."
With the inauguration of the equestrian statue of Major General Ignacio Agramonte on February 24, 1912, the dream of his childhood friend, Aurelia Castillo, was fulfilled. "He must always stand so high before our inner sight, as a symbol and eternal example of moral purity, of civic greatness!" (Text: Miozotis Fabelo Pinares / Radio Rebelde correspondent) (Photos: by the author and archive)
