Prince Harry 'should apologise for slave trade' say Colombian residents of South America's first 'free town'
18 August 2024, 09:31 | Updated: 18 August 2024, 09:34
Prince Harry should apologise for the slave trade, residents of South America's first "free town" said ahead of a royal visit.
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On the third day of Harry and his wife Meghan's trip to Colombia, they visited San Basilio de Palenque, where escaped African slaves established their freedom hundreds of years ago.
The royal couple were greeted by a group of musicians and children, and saw a statue of Domingo Bioho, the town's founder and a former slave who was later recaptured and hanged by the Spanish colonisers.
Before Harry and Meghan arrived, some locals said they hoped the Duke of Sussex would apologise for the role the British royal family played in the Atlantic slave trade.
Harry has previously denounced slavery as "unjust" but has not said sorry for the Crown's role in slavery, which included the future James II serving as governor of the Royal African Company, a vast slave trading business, in the 17th century.
A local hairdresser in San Basilio said she thought Harry should apologise for his forebears.
Elida Canarte Diaz told the Telegraph: “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.”
Segundo Caceres Reyes, the president of the town’s police force, said Harry apologising would "free our hearts and our minds".
He added: "We are in the process of forgiving and forgetting because we know how hard the facts are."
Speaking during his visit, 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."
Harry and Meghan are in Colombia on the invitation of Colombia’s vice-president Francia Marquez, who watched their documentary.
She said she invited them in part because she sees them as a symbol of resistance to oppression.
During a separate visit to a music school in the city of Cartagena on Saturday, Ms Marquez said that "a community like this cannot be displaced."
They took part in a drum lesson led by students alongside Colombia's vice president Francia Marquez and her husband.
The couple applauded a performance by local drummers and listened to community members, including children, teenagers and parents, speak about the importance of preserving Cartagena's culture - particularly its Afro-Colombian roots.
The school's founder, Rafael Ramos, said in Spanish: "I love seeing Meghan's big, big smile - I can tell she's excited."
