Poto-Poto

The French founded both Poto-Poto and Bacongo in order to create residential zones for the African workers who had begun flocking to the growing city.

Within five years of its founding, Poto-Poto was subdivided by colonial authorities into units organized by common ethnicity, and quickly became the most densely populated section of the city.

In 1959, during the run-up to decolonization, Poto-Poto was the scene of violence which touched off a major political conflict between northern and southern Congolese and which soon engulfed all of Brazzaville.

Finally, the Hotel Marimar (named for a popular 1994 Mexican telenovela starring Thalía) rises majestically above Avenue de la Paix and welcomes a discerning clientele from throughout the city, most of whom arrive without luggage and do not spend the night.

Poto-Poto's denizens may also partake of various varieties of nightlife in the neighborhood's famous bars and clubs, including Chez Faignond which was one of the first Congolese-owned nightspots, established in 1948.