Anita Arnand

What was he wanting here?

He gives this address, William, after he's seen off all the opposition at Ocaña, at that constitutional meeting where they were ganging up against him.

And when he's sort of declared president liberator, he talks about liberty, but he's a little bit sort of fudgy about what liberty means for the people of Gran Colombia.

So he is certainly getting darker.

Would you want to do it in your boomy voice?

This is the end of his gracious acceptance.

Go on, boom it.

Well, he's just named himself the man who will, you know, wield all power.

He holds absolute power at this point.

There are examples, actually, which the dark side, you know, the transformation of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader is complete.

Because he's such a magnetic character to the Bolivar ego, he is the man who could challenge him and can actually have men follow him.

So just to give you an idea of Padilla, he has been honoured in Colombian stamps because Colombia embraces his name and reputation in 1974.

Let me tell you a little bit about Padilla.

He's born in 1784 in a coastal town of Barranquilla in Colombia, the son of a Spanish father and African mother.

So he is a mulatto, mixed race man.

Despite the racism of the time, and there was plenty, this man has charisma and bravery in the bucket load.

And his belief in independence makes him much loved by

All those around him.

So he sees his naval career, which begins in the early 19th century amidst the tumult of the Spanish-American wars of independence, where he serves initially in the Spanish Navy, by the way, before aligning himself with the independence movement.

When he comes out of that, when he embraces this Bolivar vision of independence for our people, you see him rocket through the ranks until ultimately he becomes this key figure in naval forces fighting for independence.