Colombia’s vice-president hailed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as “a symbol of resistance” ahead of their final day of the quasi royal tour.
On Saturday the couple visited Escuela Taller Tambores de Cabildo, in the coastal city of Cartagena, where they took part in a drumming lesson and heard about the community’s efforts to preserve its heritage.
Delivering remarks at the event, vice-president Francia Marquez thanked Prince Harry and Meghan for visiting the South American country.
“We are grateful that both of them are here, because for me they are also a symbol of resistance, of rebellion”, she said.
“We do not remain silent in the face of injustice, that we do not keep silent and we raise our voices from wherever we are.”
Ms Marquez, who is the country’s first black woman to become vice-president, revealed earlier on the trip she had been inspired to invite the couple to Colombia after watching their Netflix series.
She said she had been “deeply moved” by their six-part documentary and thought a visit from the Duchess of Sussex would “strengthen so many women around the world”.
Addressing the audience on Saturday, she added: “This ancestral territory was collectively titled, recognising that the community was here since we were kidnapped in Africa.”
Commenting on a dispute over the rights to the region of La Boquilla, where the school is located, Ms Marquez said: “I believe that in terms of reparation to the black people, this community should be allowed to use its territory collectively, as the community defined it.”
On the last day of the tour, the couple attended a forum on “Afro women in power” in Cali, the salsa capital of the world.
The Duchess was due to give a speech at the event, which was held at the city’s main theatre.
The couple were then expected to join 500,000 people at the final day of the Petronio Alvarez music festival, the largest Afro-Colombian celebration in the country.
Cali, along with Cartagena, are the two cities with the largest proportion of Colombians with African descent, according to the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Sussexes’ decision to visit Colombia, what has been dubbed a DIY royal tour, has raised eyebrows in light of Prince Harry’s previous comments about security concerns in the UK.
The Foreign Office advises against travel to some parts of the country.
The couple started their four-day trip in Bogota, the capital, where Prince Harry delivered remarks on online harm which appeared to make a thinly veiled swipe at Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
They also visited a school in the city’s Santa Fe region, where Harry practised his Spanish by speaking to the pupils.
On Saturday the couple travelled to San Basilio de Palenque, a walled town about 30 miles south of Cartagena which was founded by runaway slaves.
They held hands as they were shown around what is believed to be South America’s first “free town” and is seen as an important part of African heritage and resistance.
During their visit they were treated to musical performances and shown the statue of Benkos Biohó, the town’s founder.
The trip has been tightly controlled with limited press access and an intense security operation.
