António da Silva Porto Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids António da Silva Porto
Statue of Silva Porto in Kuito, Angola
Born	24 August 1817 Porto, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	2 April 1890(1890-04-02) (aged 72) Kuito, Portuguese Angola
Nationality	Portuguese
Occupation	Explorer, trader

António Francisco Ferreira da Silva Porto (born August 24, 1817 – died April 2, 1890) was a Portuguese trader and explorer. He spent most of his life in Angola, which was then known as Portuguese West Africa. He was known for his long journeys, his trading posts, and his efforts to understand and connect with the local people.

Early Life and Travels
Honours
Images for kids
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Early Life and Travels

Silva Porto was born into a poor family in Porto, Portugal. His father was a soldier who fought bravely in wars. Instead of joining the military, young António was smart and ambitious. He looked for ways to make a living far from home.

At just 12 years old, he sailed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He worked for a merchant but wasn't happy with his pay. He took many different jobs. When he was 18, he moved to Bahia, Brazil. He even changed his name slightly to honor his hometown. He continued to work in sales but felt unfairly treated by his bosses.

Adventures in West Africa

One day, Silva Porto boarded a ship to Luanda, in Angola. He later said he didn't even know where Angola was! Luanda didn't impress him much at first, so he went back to Brazil. But political problems in Brazil made him decide to return to Angola. There, he worked in a tavern.

Slowly, he became fascinated by the African interior. With his first earnings, he bought local crafts and fabrics. When he had enough goods, he quit his job. At 22, he began his 50-year career as a merchant in the African interior. This was a tough adventure. Caravans traveling from the coast faced risks like robbery and tribal conflicts.

Silva Porto made many friends among the local tribes. He quickly learned to live in Africa, adopting local farming methods. He became part of the local community, even starting a family with a woman from the Ovimbundu people in the Bié kingdom.

By 1838, he had opened a shop in Luanda's interior. By 1845, he moved his business route towards the upper Zambezi. He set up his main base in Belmonte. His shop became a busy trading center. He sold textiles, small porcelain items, and explosives. He bought and traded ivory, honey, and rubber from the interior.

He carefully wrote down everything in his journals. These 14 volumes described the geography, cultures, and people of the region. His friend, Luciano Cordeiro, called them a "conversation on paper." These journals were later published.

In 1848, Silva Porto was made the temporary Captain-major of Bié. He tried to improve relations between the local people and Europeans. He worked to unite the European colonists and asked the local chief to stop holding colonists captive. However, his efforts became impossible when the chief died. Silva Porto then asked the colonial government for military help to protect Portuguese interests.

After 1854, he traveled constantly. By 1869, he had made many trips to different areas. He even bought a shop in Benguela. By the age of 62, he was still crossing Western Africa. He traveled to many places, including Moio, Lui, and Benguela. In 1885, he went to Lisbon for eye surgery. After returning, he continued his trading journeys. When he was in Belmonte, he helped the local mission by providing money for school supplies, food, clothes for children, and teacher salaries.

In 1889, he was replaced as Captain-major of Bié. However, he continued to receive a good monthly payment and honors. This payment was worth a lot of money in gold at the time.

An Explorer's Life

Map showing some of Silva Porto's journeys in Africa.

Around 1850, Portugal began exploring more of Africa. Silva Porto, based in Belmonte, was a pioneer in exploring the interior. He acted as a diplomat between the Portuguese and the native Ovimbundu tribes. He was a merchant and an explorer. He often traveled with large groups of traders, selling goods and documenting the geography and cultures of Portuguese West Africa.

For many years, Silva Porto was often the only white person the native people in Portuguese West Africa saw. He built his life and business in Bié, serving locals, settlers, and supporting Portuguese forces.

He also helped famous explorers like David Livingstone, Henry Morton Stanley, and Alexandre de Serpa Pinto. He shared his knowledge of local customs and introduced them to native people he knew well. At one point, Silva Porto hosted David Livingstone and helped him find a land route. However, the two explorers did not get along well.

In 1889, after a trip, Silva Porto returned to Belmonte to find his home burned down. He wrote to his friend, Luciano Cordeiro, saying he was sick and poor. He wished to return to Portugal to die in his homeland. In 1877, the Geographic Society had tried to get him a pension so he could return home.

Final Days

A difficult political event called the 1890 British Ultimatum and a loss of trust with a local chief named Dunduna deeply saddened Silva Porto. In January 1890, a Portuguese officer named Paiva Couceiro arrived with soldiers. The chief of Bié was worried the Portuguese would build a fort and take his land. Silva Porto tried to convince the chief that the troops were just passing through.

However, Paiva Couceiro stayed until April. The chief, encouraged by threats from the British to the Portuguese, demanded that Couceiro and his troops leave Bié. Silva Porto went to the village to try and negotiate. He believed he had influence with the chief, but he was disappointed to find he had little power. He returned feeling very sad, likely realizing that the British Ultimatum had weakened Portugal's influence. During their meeting, the chief even tugged on Silva Porto's white beard, showing his anger and disrespect.

Silva Porto was very upset by the political situation and a difficult meeting with the local chief. Sadly, he died the next day, on April 2, 1890, at the age of 72.

Honours

An Angolan escudo banknote showing António Silva Porto.

The town of Kuito, which the Portuguese founded and named Belmonte, was later renamed Silva Porto in his honor. In the 1960s, a book about Angola described the town as graceful, with paved roads, electricity, and water. It also mentioned a bronze statue of Silva Porto. At that time, the city had many European and mixed-race residents, along with a large native population.

The town kept the name Silva Porto until Angola became independent in 1975. Today, its importance has changed, and its population is much smaller. Silva Porto was also featured on a 20 Angolan escudo banknote issued in 1956.