Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Colombia to promote mental health and prevent cyberbullying

BOGOTA (AP) — Vice President Francia Marquez welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to Colombia on Thursday for their first visit to the South American country, where they will work to promote youth mental health and fight cyberbullying, one of their latest charitable causes.

The dukes were invited to the vice president’s residence in central Bogotá for Colombian coffee and a typical buño bread based on cheese and yuca. After the meeting, the Marquess and Meghan greeted each other warmly, according to a photo published by the Archewell Foundation, founded by the prince and his wife.

Marquez, a human rights activist and the first person of African descent to serve as Colombia’s vice president, promised to show the prince and duchess the country’s cultural wealth and the work they are doing to combat inequality, with poverty hitting 33% of the population, one of her parallel roles as equality minister.

The Vice President said at a press conference before welcoming the dukes that her visit was aimed at “building bridges and opening doors” to highlight and address “a problem that concerns all of humanity today: cyberbullying”, particularly because of its impact on children. She herself said she had been the victim of “12,000 racist attacks” last year.

Marquez said the visit had been in the works for a year when he invited Meghan to visit Colombia in July as part of a celebration of African-American girls and women. However, he received a return letter denying his attendance, but with the intention of making a later trip.

The vice president will accompany the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Thursday on an art tour aimed at showcasing the country’s “rich cultural heritage” and history, her office said the day before.

They will also visit a school in Bogotá to interact with students exploring the digital landscape and its effects on society, a focus of the Dukes’ work at the Archewell Foundation, a nonprofit organization where they have formed a “parent network.” As its website explains, it works with families whose children have experienced cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, depression or other trauma related to social media use.

In the afternoon, the prince and Meghan will attend the “Responsible Digital Future” forum at EAN University north of Bogotá. “The forum will address the urgent need for responsible technology practices, particularly in the Global South, where the negative impact of technology is disproportionately felt,” the vice president’s statement added.

Henry is Elizabeth’s grandson and is sixth in line to the British throne. Before marrying Enrique, Meghan Markle was an American actress who starred in the TV series “Suits.” In 2020, the couple stepped back from royal duties and distanced themselves from the royal family.

On Saturday, they are expected to travel to the Colombian Caribbean, where they can visit San Basilio de Palenque, a town of about 3,500 people southeast of the tourist city of Cartagena, founded by escaped slaves in the 17th century. Its inhabitants maintain a cultural tradition with African roots that has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

On Sunday, the prince and Meghan will visit Cali, one of the most important cities in Colombia’s Pacific region, where they will attend the “Women and African Power” forum. Valle del Cauca, the department in which Cali is located, has the largest population of people of African descent in Colombia.

The Duchess of Sussex announced on her podcast in October 2022 that she had discovered through a DNA test that she was “43% Nigerian”, and said she was very proud of her African roots.

The agenda was kept secret until a few hours before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived for security reasons, according to the presidential press office. Illegal armed groups still exist in Colombia, despite the country signing a historic agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 2016, ending five decades of fighting.