When Congolese prime minister Anatole Collinet Makosso led a delegation to Paris at the end of August, the actions and behaviour of the new Minister of International Cooperation and the Promotion of Public-Private Partnerships, Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, were given particular attention. On the advice of his communications officer, Verone Mankou, a media magnate who owns the influential Vox TV channel, Denis Sassou Nguesso's son played the role of statesman, concentrating on the business in hand