A country without history is like a body without a soul. Without the past, there is no future.” This phrase translates what at one time during his childhood his parents transmitted to him. Helkin Núñez when delving into the fascinating historical content of the Puerto Colombia Dock, his homeland. Without imagining it, years later, she would guard what is today a tangible treasure of the Atlantic.
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The current process coordinator of the Atlantic Historical Archive has given 32 years of his wisdom and passion to this place, while keeping the project up and running.
His father, who was mayor of Puerto Colombia (Pedro Núñez), used to tell him anecdotes that set his imagination afloat. It was no surprise to anyone when, at age 7, she began collecting photographs and newspaper clippings that she found in the Newspaper archive of the Departmental Library.
His life took a significant turn when he met the then governor Gustavo Bell at one of the cultural meetings in Colombian Port. The empathy between the two was immediate, and the shared passion for history sealed a friendship that transcended the years.
“At that moment I was the one who collected the books in the consultation room and the governor began with these boys to create the project of the Atlantic Historical Archive. Then I had to receive the first 20 volumes that the First Notary of Barranquilla, They sent me to clean it, but I worked alternating with cleaning,” Ñúñez explained.
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The archive project coincided with a total restructuring of the newspaper archive. This challenge involved intense work of purification and organization, but his commitment to the preservation of history allowed him to face the task with determination.
He was appointed official of the nascent Atlantic Historical Archiveunder the coordination of Luis Alarcón Meneses. Together, they joined the project, creating an institution aimed at preserving the historical memory of the department.
In his office, surrounded by historical volumes and old photographscontinues searching, discovering and preserving fragments of the past.
“What I love most about being here is the connection I have with history. Everything my parents instilled in me. And being daring, at 16, 17 and 18 years old, I already introduced some historical concepts about Puerto Colombia that were astounding, but being daring, I managed a rebellious adolescence.”
