Le lieutenant de Kouta

Le lieutenant de Kouta ("The Lieutenant of Kouta") is a 1979 novel by Malian author Massa Makan Diabaté. Loosely based on the author's hometown of Kita, Mali, the novel tells the story of a recently returned lieutenant from the French Colonial Army, Siriman Keita, and his struggle to adjust to his village's changing customs. It is the first book in Diabaté's "Kouta trilogy," followed by Le coiffeur de Kouta ("The Barber of Kouta," 1980) and Le boucher de Kouta ("The Butcher of Kouta," 1982), which feature many of the same characters.