Cendrine Sassou Nguesso: profile of the aggressive and corrosive offspring of President Denis Sassou Nguesso

Was he sincere? Or was he doing or talking the way he was talking because I was there? I can never tell. But, I left with a mixed feeling. However, what I was certain was that, the scheme was already in place for Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso to succeed his father. That is certainly going to be another arduous battle, for most close associates of Denis Sassou Nguesso have always told me that, Congo will never be second Gabon, Togo or the DRC. The other character of a Presidential Nguesso, child that I have come across was a certain Cendrine Sassou Nguesso, formerly known as Mrs. Otenello, the name of her former Italian husband. We first met in Marbella, Spain in 2009 during a vacation with President Denis Sassou Nguesso. It was my first and last accidental vacation with the Congolese president. As always, I get carried away whenever I come across any French-speaking African who expresses him or herself fluently in English and to Cendrine Sassou Nguesso credit, she spoke and still speaks perfect.

The only other member of the ruling Nguesso family whom I know and who expresses or speaks fluent English is Claudia Lemboumba Sassou Nguesso. She is the Communications adviser to the President of the Republic. But I came to discover that, behind Cendrine Sassou Nguesso’s clam and effaced demeanor, hides a very aggressive and corrosive offspring of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. She has a rapacious desire for wealth amassing. And her focus is in the area of service and real-estate. She also seems to be competing or wants to compete with other members of President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s many children, to seek for the attention of their father. Cendrine Sassou Nguesso obsession is to be like Claudia Sassou Nguesso, her half sister. While other children of Denis Sassou Nguesso are essentially politically oriented, Cendrine Sassou Nguesso seems to have inherited the business genes of her uncle Maurice Nguesso. She is the owner of a hotel in Pointe Noire called Twinga and she also owns one of the best restaurants in Brazzaville called Terminalia. This restaurant is built on part of the Greater Brazzaville city council property, which she has seized or taken with the complicity of her brother-in-law, Mr Ngouelondele.

Cendrine Sassou Nguesso is perhaps the only child of a president his many children whose area of predilection is not only politics and the creation of foundations. She has as already mentioned flair in business or the private sector.  Her success is not because of her ingenuity, but more because of the name that she bears. And between Denis Sassou Nguesso and his elder brother, Maurice Nguesso, they have 48 children and still procreating with countless number of grand children. But one strong and also strange thing is that, the only child of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and also the most intelligent was Edith Lucie Bongo Ondimba. She was also the only one loved or tolerated by Congolese. The rest are abhorred by the people. But I also think that, the Congolese would have also loved two other Nguessos if and only if, they knew them better: they are Lydie Hortense Kourissa and Edgard Nguesso. These two are very effaced and humble, although it must be stressed that, the second is not well known because he holds official functions in the army. The first, that is Mrs. Hortense Lydie Kourissa nee Nguesso, doesn’t even like to be called or identified by the name: Nguesso. She is very proud to carry her husband’s name. 

She is also meek and extremely religious. While the second, that  is Edgard Nguesso, he is perhaps barred from showing what he truly is or the military laws prevents him to show a side of him seldom known of the Nguessos. Edgard Nguesso is humble and honest. He (Edgard Nguesso) also likes intelligent people. He also enjoys contradictory debates and admires professional journalists and responsible strong civil society organizations and its members. And paradoxically, Edgard Nguesso also likes pro-democracy activists and strong opposition activities. Edgard Nguesso is a generous person and also humane. But I doubt whether he is religious. However, one thing is clear, Edgard Nguesso is supportive of young Congolese and he seems very patriotic. He is also conscious that the current political class especially those of the ruling party, has contributed in ruining the country and have held his father or his uncle hostage.