Question 1.5

1.5 Please describe the years you spent at the French school in your village.

Starting at age seven, I went to primary school after morning Mass. At the time, we could speak our native language at home and French in the classroom or on the playground. If we broke this rule, we were punished with “the mark”, a sort of small necklace made of unfinished wood that symbolized our mistake. … But in fact, children were proud to go to school, to learn the French language and culture. Our ambition was actually to be open to everything that leads to knowledge and to the world of science.

Friendships between schoolmates were strong; you could even say that there was great unity among the youth. We fought sometimes, but it was never serious. Today I have lost many of those friends, who died rather young; others still live in the village or in various regions of Guinea. I have many fond memories of this simple time, marked by the heroism of the missionaries, whose lives were totally imbued with God.

I was an only child, surrounded by affection without being overprotected. My parents never punished me; I felt an inexhaustible tenderness and affectionate veneration for them. Despite their return to the Father’s house, I still feel the love that keeps us profoundly united.

I also remember my maternal grandmother, who was baptized at the end of her life, at the very moment of her death. She was baptized with the name Rose, the patron saint of her parish. My grandmother agreed to be baptized when the priest explained to her that she would thus be able to see us again in heaven. At first, she did not understand the meaning of baptism; it was a great joy for me when she became a child of God, for I was sure that we would one day go to live together in heaven, side by side.