Prince Harry should apologise for slavery, Colombian townsfolk say

Prince Harry should apologise for his family’s role in the slave trade, residents of South America’s first “free town” have said.

On the third day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s quasi royal tour of Colombia, the pair were welcomed to San Basilio’s main square by a group of musicians and children dressed in striking blue and white dresses.

The Duchess wore head-to-toe white, a sunhat and sunglasses, while Harry wore a blue shirt and beige trousers.

As they walked into the plaza, the couple stopped to look at the statue of Benkos Bioho, the town’s founder, who is shown reaching out of a stone pillar while clutching a chain.

Harry and Meghan were then treated to a performance by Kombliesa Mi, a local band famous for “rap of Palenque”.

A crowd of locals dressed in bright colours filled up the square behind them.

Ahead of their arrival, locals said they were hopeful Harry would use the moment to apologise for the British crown’s role in the colonial slave trade.

Harry has previously decried the “unjust” system that saw “enslaved people” generate wealth for the Crown, but has stopped short of apologising for his family’s role in the oppressive system.

“I think he does have to [apologise], to free our hearts and our minds and ask for a pardon,” said Segundo Caceres Reyes, 49, president of the town’s local police.

Speaking from outside the force’s turquoise headquarters, he told The Telegraph: “We are in the process of forgiving and forgetting because we know how hard the facts are.”

Hairdresser Elida Canarte Diaz, 33, also said she believes Harry should apologise.

She said: “His ancestors made our ancestors go through terrible times and he can make good faith and repent to show that they don’t agree with what happened before.”

Francia Márquez, Colombia’s vice-president who invited Harry and the Duchess after watching their Netflix documentary, is one of the world’s leading voices in the call for reparations, setting up a national commission to “repair the historical debt owed”.

Ms Marquez said part of her decision to invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Colombia was because she views them as a joint symbol of resistance and two vital voices against injustice.

“The Duke and Duchess came to Colombia…this is Colombia. This is where the roots of our ancestors and our forefathers are from,” she told an audience at the local drum school, which included members of her own family.

“A community like this cannot be displaced.”

She said it was important to preserve Colombian heritage and the art of drumming symbolises freedom for Black communities around the world.

The vice president’s office described the visit to San Basilio de Palenque as a “special meeting to connect with African roots and “to learn about the experiences and living conditions of black, Afro-descendant Raizal and Palenquero peoples in the region”.

Speaking in the town, Harry said: “It feels like we have already seen the whole country.”

He added: “What we are seeing here is everything that is a community, do not forget the message of the vice president, they are stronger together, they are stronger united as one.”

Sussexes praised for ‘breaking protocol’

Tour guide Juan Manuel Márquez Padilla, 37, spoke to the Duke and Duchess during their visit, telling them: “We want racial discrimination to end.”

He told The Telegraph that Harry replied: “We’re working on that.”

“I liked them because they’re working for human rights,” Mr Padilla added.

Manuel Perez Salinas, the tour guide who showed Harry and Meghan around the town, said he told them about the community’s music, cultural identity, hand crafts and their founder, Benkos Bioho.

When showing them the statue of the founder, he said he told them: “This is a monument to the liberator of who formed the palenque and led the resistance of the enslaved people to found the first free palenque.”

He praised Harry and Meghan for “breaking protocol” and choosing to visit the town. He said he was not expecting Harry to apologise for the Crown’s role in colonial slavery.

Edwin José Valdés Torres, who played the drums in the band which performed to the couple, said they sang “diverse Africa” which is “about the connection we have with our brothers in Africa”.

He said he was not disappointed Harry did not apologise for the Royal family’s role in colonial slavery, noting “there could be an opportunity to do that later on”.

The Sussexes were treated to a booming reception before hearing about the importance of preserving Cartagena’s Afro-Colombian culture.

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The Duke and Duchess also took part in a drum lesson led by the students.

Rafael Ramos, the founder of the school, said: “I love seeing Meghan’s big, big smile — I can tell she’s excited.”

The couple were also given a small handcrafted wooden boat from a student, in honour of the coastal city and its beaches.

While some residents, who are known as Palenqueros, were eager to meet Harry and Meghan, several said they did not even know who they were.

Justo Valdés, 70, the lead singer of the band Son Palenque, was on Saturday morning practising the town’s hymn at the cultural centre to welcome the Duke and Duchess to the town.

“Who is Meghan?” he asked The Telegraph, before going on to ask of which country Harry was a prince.

The small town of about 3,500 people, around 30 miles south of Cartagena, is made up of some 10 roads lined with colourful houses and intricate murals.

Donkeys and chickens roamed the town, while locals set up the sound system in the main square on Saturday morning and prepared for the Duke and Duchess’ arrival.

Others walked around with machetes slung over their shoulders as they prepared to harvest yucca, while some locals bent large branches into an archway that Harry and Meghan were expected to walk underneath.

A group of Colombian soldiers and dozens of police officers were in position across the town ahead of Harry and Meghan’s arrival.

About 3,000 police officers were expected to be deployed throughout Cartagena for their protection, while 250 uniformed officers were assigned to protect Ms Marquez and the Duke and Duchess.

On Friday, Harry and Meghan visited a school and then attended a private lunch hosted by Ms Marquez where they discussed creating safe environments for children around the world

Wearing a striking turquoise blue, sleeveless dress by designer Oscar de la Renta, Meghan addressed the audience in Spanish and said she had been enjoying the trip to the South American country.

The Duke and Duchess’ four-day quasi royal tour started in Bogota on Thursday.

The Colombia trip is the couple’s second DIY “royal tour”, following their Nigeria visit, since they quit their roles as working royals in 2020.