Why was Dahomey called the Latin Quarter of French West Africa?

Dahomey (now Benin) was referred to as the "Latin Quarter" of French West Africa by the 1950s due to the significant influence of Western education and Christianity in the southern part of the colony.12

This cultural and educational development was driven by several groups, including missionaries, descendants of Portuguese settlers, and formerly enslaved people who had returned to the region from Portuguese colonies in the Americas, often referred to as Brésiliens (Brazilians). These groups were instrumental in spreading Western-style education and religious practices throughout the south, distinguishing the region's social character from the Muslim-dominated north.12