Meghan and Harry spotted out and about - ¡Viva Colombia! Edition (Part 7)

[skullbabe]

Welcome to Part 7 of our positive threads, where we explore all things Meghan and Harry. From the causes they champion and their business ventures to Meghan’s (and occasionally Harry’s 😉) fashion moments, there’s a lot to chat about. This is a drama-free space, so let’s keep it upbeat! High five to @queentim for the original inspiration.

Hey @skullbabe, dropping in to say nice to see you and thanks for the thread!

Well this Colombia trip has been another unmitigated success for the key players involved, quite an achievement given all that could have gone wrong. I think it’s gone brilliantly!

As a fan of (TV shows) Narcos, Queen of the South, El Chapo, etc, and an enjoyer of good coffee, I have to confess my knowledge of Colombia and places like Cali and Culiacan was, shall I say, somewhat limited…

Thanks to this trip I (and presumably many others with the ability to remain objective about M&H) have discovered that Columbia has an Afro-Colombian art and music scene, has become a destination for salsa lovers, has delegates from all around the world heading there to attend global conferences on gender equality, and of course, was the first LatAm country to have an Invictus team!

Colombia VP Francia Márquez clearly knew what she was doing in inviting H&M, and they’ve all pulled it off successfully.

Hats off to them!

https://www.thetimes.com/world/latin-america/article/harry-and-meghans-colombia-visit-really-important-for-former-cartel-city-6pl8xzbvv

Gold!

Surprised because usually any article on Meghan in the DM contains a lot of negative sentences even in a supposedly positive article. This one was not like that and used more friendly terms like Montecito Moms Squad. As opposed to putting everyone in the catch all sick bucket that is the Sussex Squad.

Very true. ☺️

Had you no idea about Colombia's Afro - Colombian art and music scene, @TallerSally ? It's worth travelling round South America. It's amazing.
I don't need celebrities like Harry and Meghan to tell me about it , plus they're not into art or architecture, which interests me. They're more about the clothes! 😂

Thanks @TallerSally - I think that’s the key thing with celebrity/VIP visits to places is that they raise their profile to people who wouldn’t have thought to visit the places that have been visited. Although I knew objectively that Colombia was not solely as presented (primarily as a drug haven), it was interesting for me to see Colombia especially in terms of diaspora and to see how Francia is trying to promote these aspects to the world as well.

I think she was successful to those who would take an interest - I think cyber bullying being as high as it is as a cause for concern for Colombian teens was a good focus for the insight session and practical aspects with partnership with Archewell seem reasonable. As is - based on the festival in Cali and the salsa in Palenque - I’ve certainly considered Colombia in addition to Peru as place to think about visiting in the future.

Peru is worth a visit. You have to avoid certain areas, same with Colombia.
Very interesting, fantastic culture.

Gosh when I first visited Latin America the only resource available was the South American Handbook. These places have always been on the travellers' bucket list. It was certainly much more difficult in those days.

Well this Colombia trip has been another unmitigated success for the key players involved, quite an achievement given all that could have gone wrong. I think it’s gone brilliantly!
What did they achieve? I couldn't really understand the point of it? Can anyone explain?

I think it's about Meghan's outfits. They were in Hello! Also there's a picture of them at the beginning of this thread.

Not too gone on any of the clothes @MagdaLenor. The VP's husband was a bit dishy though wasn't he?

Oh I didn't see him!
Colombia has some amazing culture - the art alone is fantastic. Also the music!

Here he is. I must admit I don't know much about Colombia.

Oooh, he's nice! Was he part of this Sussexes event?
Colombia is an incredible place, but like most of South America, the colonial legacy of the Spanish is sadly evident. Beautiful friendly people though and great food!
It's not particularly safe, so you have to be careful where you go, and use local guides.

He was indeed. Meghan seemed quite taken with him.

I don't think I'll ever make it to Colombia unless I win the lottery!

I like the way he's got his ear pods in!

I once did the Mayan tour of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, we saw fantastic Mayan sites like Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tikal and Tulum, but venturing south to Colombia would have been a new trip altogether. Maybe another time…

That said if the VP of Colombia invited me to a guided tour of the country complete with school visits, dance and cultural shows, participation on panel discussions, amazing colourful costumes, great food, etc, and the opportunity to promote causes I’m an activist for (eg teen mental health and gender equality) and philanthropic projects my foundation happens to be collaborating on, and all this with 2000 police officers (or something) to keep me safe, I wouldn’t hesitate to say “no thanks! I’d rather stay at home as I’m not like the attention-seeking faux-royal M&H!”

LoL… 😂

I’ve been to Belize and Mexico. What an experience!

I would love to go to Mexico. It looks amazing.

Good on you for saying 'no' to that hypothetical possibilty @TallerSally - you clearly have an understanding of the impact of such lightweight visits which don't embed any support for community led change. I assume you've drawn this insight from your tourist hopping around Mexico and your understanding that merely skimming the surface of a multilayerd, historic culture of a nation such as Colombia would not put you in a positon to offer any sort of 'solution' to perceived or apparent issues facing that country. I'm with you, my experience of living in the Yucatan for a short period, and working wth latin american communities in London for several years, has shown when its important for me (to quote Archewell) 'to show up and do good' by absolutley shutting the fuck up and listening

You’re spot-on, @myrtleWilson!

My, what genius insight-rich comments! 🌟

aww - thanks poppet!

.

@myrtleWilson you are spot on with that comment. Tourist hopping only gives you an inkling of a country. Even living in a country for many years is deemed by many as irrelevant and that you have to be a native born to really understand. They say that they don't want outsiders coming in with their ideas and let's be honest here that is Meghan and Harry. Although Meghan is half African American is her experience really relevant ? What about Harry? Is he perceived as having a white saviour complex? Colombia is a complex mix of indigenous people, descendants of the Conquistadors and of Afro Colombians. In that respect it is not dissimilar to many other countries in the region.

Oh dear………..