Bambara language
Poto-Poto was originally demarcated by French colonizers in 1909, to the northeast of the central part of town (simply called "la ville" in French) which was reserved for white residents only. Meanwhile, to the southwest, the neighborhood of Bacongo was also established. 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. Initially, Bacongo drew migrants from the southern part of the colony, while Poto-Poto was settled by migrants from the north and central regions, as well as by immigrants from other African colonies, including Chad, Oubangui-Chari (now the Central African Republic) and various parts of West Africa. In fact, the name Poto-Poto comes from the word in the Bambara language meaning "watery mud"—so named because the neighborhood is located in a low-lying area which tends to flood during heavy rains. Still today, streets in Poto-Poto reflect the diverse origins of the neighborhood's inhabitants: they bear the names of distant places (e.g., Rue Dahomey, Rue Yaoundé) and of ethnic groups (e.g., Rue Bateke, Rue Zande, Rue Mbochi). 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.