ABSTRACT
The oldest son of a large family, Camara Laye was born in 1928 in Kouroussa, Upper Guinea, into one of the most respected Malinké clans. His father was a goldsmith who, though a practicing Muslim, maintained strong ties with Malinké culture and kept a small black snake in his bed (King, 2). Laye was raised as a Moslem and as a young child attended a Koranic school before continuing his education in a school established by the French.
