Ixelles is known throughout Belgium for its large community of people of African origin. This population is mainly concentrated near the Namur Gate (French: "Porte de Namur", Dutch: "Naamsepoort"), and the neighbourhood is nicknamed "Matongé" or "Matongué" after the marketplace and the commercial district with the same name in Kalamu, Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The core of "Matongé" was formed in late 1950s by the foundation of "Maisaf" (an abbreviation of "Maison Africaine" or "African House") which served as a centre and residence for university students from the Belgian Congo. After Congolese independence in 1960, the district faced an influx of immigrants from the new state who shaped the neighbourhood in a style to resemble the original "Matongé". During the sixties and into the seventies, the area was a well known meeting place for students and diplomats from Zaire. At the time they were known locally as "Belgicains". There are also communities from other African countries, mainly from Rwanda, Burundi, Mali, Cameroon, and Senegal, present in the district.