French influence in Brazzaville

When European powers sat down to divide Central Africa amongst themselves in the nineteenth century, today’s Republic of Congo became a colony of France.  Although Congo gained independence in 1960 and you might not be able to tell at first glance, ties between the two countries are still strong.  For better or worse, France has left an indelible impression on Congo’s culture, government, and economy.  The official language of business and academia is French (the Congolese are way ahead of Americans with fluency in multiple languages), and many Western expats and major business owners are French.  One of the happier results: you don’t have to look too far to get a good croissant, or as I was happy to find, a mil feuille (I’ve also heard it called a napoleon).