Angola, Hungary to honor Southwest Africa’s mapmaker László Magyar on Dec 13

The Republic of Hungary will celebrate the bicentenary of the Hungarian explorer and map-maker, László Magyar on December 13. The renowned explorer reached the Bié region of Angola in 1846 coming from Brazil.

The Hungarian ambassador to Angola, Zsolt Maris has given the information at a meeting with the Angolan Culture minister, Carolina Cerqueira.

László Magyar lived 17 years in the Bié region of Angola, where he died on November 9, 1864. He contributed to the study of the geography and ethnography of equatorial Arica. Trained as a Navy officer, he served in the Austrian and Argentinean naval forces.

In 1846, László Magyar carried out his first expedition to Africa, travelling through the Congo River. Throughout his stay in the Bié region, the explorer gained the trust of the local sovereign (King Kayaya Kayangula), to the point that he managed marry the King's daughter, Ozoro.

László Magyar wrote three extensive ethnographic volumes, mainly focused on the Kimbundu-speaking people of Angola (north-central region).

During the meeting with the Hungarian diplomat, Culture minister Carolina Cerqueira endorsed the proposal of the ambassador on the need for both countries to establish a co-operation in the domain of artistic training and management of museums.