The presence of the foreign school in the Diallobé community is the primary source of conflict in the novel, as well as the catalyst for Samba’s “adventure.” The preferred education for the Diallobé until this point was the Glowing Hearth school, which teaches the Koran in a severe, disciplined environment and represents not only religion but tradition broadly. For the people of Diallobé, the foreign school represents the end of their traditional way of life; from the perspective of the colonizers, the school introduces modernity and technology to the community. The first chapter frequently compares the foreign school to a house, conjuring images of protection and solidity; it implies that education involves building a solid dwelling within oneself. However, the foreign school also encapsulates an unknown secular and westernized future, which most of the Diallobé fear.

Eventually, the Most Royal Lady convinces the chief and Thierno to allow Samba to attend the foreign school so he may learn the ways of the colonizers and bring this information back to the Diallobé. For Samba, the foreign school is the first step in his journey to Paris and an important catalyst for his growth.