Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit the first “free city” for escaped slaves in the Americas during their stay in Colombia, while continuing their interest in colonialism and its legacy.
On Saturday, the couple will be shown the important sanctuary of San Basilio de Palenque.
The small town of around 3,500 inhabitants was one of the walled communities known as “Palenques”, founded in the 17th century as a place of refuge by escaped slaves. As a result, the enclave developed a rich and unique culture, strongly influenced by the African heritage of the population.
In 2008, the city and its cultural area were declared an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
Prince Harry and Meghan meet students in Abuja, Nigeria
The Sussexes will arrive at the invitation of Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez
The couple are expected to stay in the Presidential Suite at the Sofitel Legend Hotel in Cartagena, which costs £2,500 a night.
Part of the recognition is due to the fact that the Palenque language, called Palenquero, is the only Spanish-based creole language in Latin America. It is spoken by only about 3,000 people.
Most of Palenque’s other so-called secret fortress villages were eventually discovered and destroyed by the Spanish, but San Basilio de Palenque, a popular day trip destination for tourists from Cartagena, survived.
The founding father was Domingo Benkos Bioho, originally from the Bijago Islands in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa.
He was captured by Portuguese slave traders in the late 16th century. The story of his escape from Cartagena, one of the most important slave trading centers in Colombia in the 17th century, is a mystery.
On the trip to Colombia, Meghan can demonstrate her fluent Spanish.
Meghan poses for a photo in Abuja, Nigeria
Harry and Meghan will visit Bogata as part of their Colombia tour
Spanish authorities, seeking to eliminate the threat he posed after he organized a network of palenques and coordinated raids on Spanish-run plantations to free more slaves, arrested him during a visit to Cartagena after tricking him into returning to the city and executed him.
In the center of San Basilio de Palenque there is a statue of Benkos Bioho.
Day trippers to the city have the opportunity to learn Palenquero in a hair salon and learn about traditional hairstyles and braids.
Dishes visitors can sample include a mix of African, Caribbean, European and American ingredients – such as fried fish, coconut and mango salsa.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will also attend a music festival in Cali called the Petronio Alvarez Festival on Sunday, according to Mayor Alejandro Eder.
It takes place every year in August in a sports complex called Unidad Deportiva Alberto Galinda.
Since its founding in 1997, it has become a major celebration of Afro-Colombian music and culture in Latin America.
The aim was to bring together artists from the Colombian Pacific coast and provide them with a platform to express and celebrate their rich cultural heritage.
At a tourism congress earlier this month, Cali’s mayor Eder said: “They will come to Cali and spend a day in the city.”
“They will attend the Petronio Alvarez Festival in the city and other social initiatives.”
The trip will allow Meghan, who celebrated her 43rd birthday last Sunday, to demonstrate her fluent Spanish, which she learned at a private school in LA and perfected at the US Embassy in Argentina.
Many Colombians, however, see the Sussexes’ visit as little more than a cynical attempt by the ailing left-wing government to use the glamorous couple as “political pawns” to distract from a series of scandals that have rocked the regime.
A prominent lawyer from Bogota told the Mail on Sunday: “I’m sure Meghan and Harry mean well, but everyone here is talking about how obviously they are being manipulated.”
“Of course, their star status is used to draw attention to poor people and certain areas of culture in Colombia… but the reality is that the Colombian government has been mired in scandals since they took office two years ago. They need something to appease people at home and make them look good abroad.”
