Silva Porto (explorer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Silva Porto
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Statue of Silva Porto in Kuito, Angola
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| Born |
António Francisco Ferreira da Silva Porto
24 August 1817 |
| Died | 2 April 1890 (aged 72) Kuito, Portuguese Angola
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| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Explorer, trader |
António Francisco Ferreira da Silva Porto (born August 24, 1817 – died April 2, 1890) was a brave Portuguese trader and explorer. He spent most of his life exploring and trading in Angola, which was known as Portuguese West Africa back then.
Contents
A Young Adventurer's Start
Silva Porto was born into a family that didn't have much money in the city of Porto, Portugal. His father was a soldier who fought bravely against the French in a war around 1810. But young António didn't want to be a soldier. He was smart and ambitious, and he looked for ways to make a living far from home.
Many people from Portugal went to Brazil to find success. So, at just 12 years old, with his father's blessing, António sailed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He worked for a merchant for a while but wasn't happy with his pay. He quit and took many different jobs.
When he was 18, he arrived in Bahia, another city in Brazil. He even put an announcement in a newspaper to make sure people knew his full name, António Ferreira da Silva Porto. He did this to honor his hometown. In Bahia, he worked for a coffee merchant, but he still felt his bosses were unfair.
Becoming a Merchant in Africa
One day, at the port of Bahia, he got on a ship heading to Luanda. He later said he didn't even know where Angola was! Luanda didn't impress him much at first, so he went back to Bahia. But there were political problems in Bahia, which made it hard to do business.
So, Silva Porto decided to return to Angola. He found a job in a local tavern. Slowly, he became very interested in the inner parts of Africa. With his first earnings, he bought local crafts and fabrics. Once he had enough goods, he quit his job and started his own trading business. He was only 22 years old.
This was a tough adventure. Many trading groups traveling from the coast of Benguela to places like Lui and Katanga risked being robbed. They also had to deal with local chiefs and avoid tribal conflicts.
Silva Porto made many friends among the local tribes. He quickly learned to live in Africa, even adopting local farming methods. He married an important woman from the Bié kingdom, who was part of the Ovimbundu people. They had several children together.
By 1838, he had opened a shop in the interior of Luanda. By 1845, he moved his business route towards Lui, passing through Lutembo and the upper Zambezi River. He finally set up his main base in Belmonte. From there, he began exploring the Barotseland region.
His shop was a busy place for trade. He sold things like fabrics, small porcelain items, and even explosives. He bought and traded valuable goods from the interior, such as ivory, honey, and rubber. He carefully wrote everything down in his journals.
These journals, which filled 14 volumes, described the geography, cultures, and people of Africa. His friend Luciano Cordeiro called them a "conversation on paper." Silva Porto's writings were later published, sharing his amazing experiences with the world.
In 1848, he was made the temporary Captain-major of Bié. This meant he was in charge of keeping peace between the local people and the Europeans. He tried to unite the Europeans and convince a local chief, Lhiumbulla, to stop holding colonists captive.
After 1854, he was constantly on the move. By 1869, he had made six trips to Lui and three to Benguela. He even bought a shop there called Bemposta. He stayed in Benguela for a while, but by 1879, he was back in Belmonte. Even at 62 years old, he was still traveling across Western Africa. He visited many places and continued his trading journeys.
In 1885, he went back to Lisbon for eye surgery. When he returned, he kept transporting his goods across the interior. In Belmonte, he also helped the local mission. He used his own money to provide school supplies, food, and clothes for children, and paid the teacher.
In 1889, he was replaced as Captain-major of Bié, but he still received a good monthly payment and honors. This payment was a lot of money back then, showing how important he was.
Silva Porto the Explorer
Around 1850, Portugal started exploring more of Africa. Silva Porto wanted military help to protect Portuguese interests, but his requests were not met. Portugal was mostly interested in developing the coast at that time.
In Belmonte, which was the furthest Portuguese outpost to the east, Silva Porto explored many new areas. He acted as a diplomat, helping to keep good relations between the Portuguese colonists and the native Ovimbundu tribes. He was a merchant and an explorer. He often traveled across the interior with his trading groups, and he also helped document the cultures and geography of Portuguese West Africa.
For many years, Silva Porto was often the only white person the native people in Portuguese West Africa would see. He settled in Bié and built a local business that served everyone: locals, settlers, and Portuguese soldiers.
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 had good relationships with.
However, David Livingstone was not always kind about Silva Porto in his journals. He called Silva Porto names and suggested he was just a slave trader, even though Silva Porto had helped him find a route and given him valuable information. It seems they didn't get along very well.
In 1889, Silva Porto returned to Belmonte to find his home had been burned down. He wrote to his friend, Luciano Cordeiro, saying he was "an invalid and poor" and wished to "die in the Fatherland" (Portugal). The Geographic Society in Lisbon had tried to get him a pension so he could return to Portugal, where he wanted to spend his final days.
A Sad End
However, political events in 1890 caused him great sadness. The British government sent an ultimatum to Portugal, which made Portugal lose some of its power and influence in Africa. This, along with problems with a local chief named Dunduna, made Silva Porto feel very hopeless.
A Portuguese officer named Paiva Couceiro arrived in the area with soldiers. The chief of Bié was worried the Portuguese were going to build a fort and take his lands. Silva Porto tried to convince the chief that the troops were just passing through. But Paiva Couceiro stayed until April.
The chief, encouraged by threats from the English towards the Portuguese, demanded that Couceiro and his troops leave Bié. Silva Porto, believing he could still influence the chief, went to negotiate. But he was very disappointed to find he had little power. The chief was angry and even tugged on Silva Porto's white beard, which was a great insult.
Silva Porto returned, feeling defeated. On April 1, 1890, in Belmonte, he wrapped himself in a Portuguese flag, lay down on some barrels of gunpowder, and lit a fuse. He didn't die right away, but he tragically died the next day from his injuries. He was seventy-two years old.
Honors and Legacy
The town of Kuito, which the Portuguese founded and named Belmonte, was later renamed Silva Porto in his honor. In the 1960s, an Angolan yearbook described the town as beautiful, with paved roads, electricity, and water. It also mentioned a large bronze statue of Silva Porto. The town's population included many Europeans and mixed-race people, along with a large number of native Angolans.
The name Silva Porto stayed until Angola became independent in 1975. Today, the town is known as Kuito again.
Silva Porto was also featured on the 20 Angolan escudo banknote issued in 1956, showing how important he was to the region's history.
See also
In Spanish: António Francisco da Silva Porto para niños
