 He was a self-styled diplomat between the Portuguese colonists and the native tribes of the Ovimbundu, as well as a merchant and explorer.He frequently crossed the interior in caravans selling goods, as well as participating in field projects to document the ethnography and geography of the interior of the Portuguese West Africa.For many years, Silva Porto was the only white man that natives in Portuguese West Africa would see; he established himself in Bié and established a local business to serve the locals, settlers and support Portuguese forces.