Samba is a young boy of noble heritage in the Diallobé region of West Africa. Selected by community leaders to attend a new foreign school, he carries the heavy expectation of learning the colonizers' ways to ensure his people's long-term survival. He possesses a deep capacity for spiritual focus and frequently falls into meditative states, but his exposure to secular, scientific French education creates a profound internal division between his traditional upbringing and modern philosophy.

Thierno is a highly respected, aging religious teacher at the Glowing Hearth Islamic school. He lives a strict ascetic lifestyle divided entirely between physical labor in the fields and rigorous spiritual meditation. Though his aging body causes him physical difficulty, he maintains his daily prayers with unexpected humor and jubilance. He views the new foreign school with intense suspicion, fearing it will sever the younger generation's connection to God.

The older sister of the Diallobé chief, the Most Royal Lady holds immense, unopposed political influence within her community. She completely conceals her body and face behind a traditional blue boubou and white gauze, but her leadership style is highly assertive and pragmatic. Remembering her grandfather's military defeat by colonizers, she firmly insists the younger generation must attend the foreign school to study their conquerors.

Residing in the city of L., Samba's father is a devout Muslim who holds a position of status that requires regular interaction with French nationals. Often described by others as a knight, he seamlessly integrates his religious faith into his daily labor. He deeply questions Western secularism and fears a future where industrialization strips humanity of its spiritual center, yet he accepts the necessity of sending his son into the Western educational system.

The fool is a marginalized, eccentric figure in the Diallobé community who forms a surprising connection with Thierno. Having spent time fighting against colonizers in a Western city, he possesses firsthand experience with modern mechanization. He communicates his observations in highly visual, denaturalized terms, describing modern technology as terrifying shells and dehumanizing mechanisms.

The chief of the Diallobé community shares the heavy burden of leadership with his strong-willed sister, the Most Royal Lady. He worries extensively about losing traditional ways and struggles with the philosophical implications of modernization. He ultimately defers to his sister's stronger resolve regarding the education of the community's youth.

Demba is a student at the Glowing Hearth school alongside Samba. He deeply resents Samba's noble background and ascetic behavior, frequently trying to provoke his quiet peer into physical conflict. He represents an alternative, more opportunistic path for the students of the traditional school.

Paul Lacroix is a French colonial resident living in the city of L. He views science as the ultimate tool for liberating humanity from absurd fears and superstitions. He fundamentally fails to understand the Diallobé's focus on spirituality over material progress, viewing their traditionalism as a stubborn refusal of the light.

Jean is a French student attending the foreign school in the city of L. He develops an intense fascination with Samba and Samba's father, romanticizing them as ethereal figures who seem to belong to a different historical era entirely.

Lucienne is Samba's classmate in Paris and an active member of the Communist Party who distributes political leaflets. She engages Samba in sharp intellectual debates, viewing the world through a lens of political liberation and material progress that contrasts heavily with his religious focus.

Pierre-Louis is an older Black man living in Paris who previously worked in colonial law across several African regions, including the Diallobé territory. He believes strongly that colonized peoples must master the laws and languages of their colonizers to survive, providing Samba with his first sense of cultural camaraderie in France.

Adèle is Pierre-Louis's granddaughter, a young woman of African descent born and raised in the West. She experiences deep internal conflict over her dual identity, harboring resentment toward colonizers while struggling to understand her own non-Western impulses. She forms a close emotional connection with Samba, who helps her face her internal divisions.

Paul is Lucienne's father in Paris. He once dreamed of starting a Christian ministry in Africa but was unable to fulfill this ambition. He holds a deep respect for Samba's strict adherence to Islamic principles, particularly when Samba refuses alcohol.