In colonial Africa, the ways in which Catholic missionaries related to Islam and its representatives varied according to the specificities of the local contexts. In the Ségou district, in present-day Mali, the Missionaries of Africa competed with the Muslims for the conversion of the Bamana people, many of whom practiced traditional cults. Their depiction of Islam was essentially negative: it was considered a foreign religion (linked to the Fulbe ethnicity), associated with the slave trade, religious violence and excessive ritualism. However, in practice, relations between the representatives of the two religions were more nuanced. The mission environment saw frequent interactions between Christians and Muslims, which were not necessarily conflicting. In the early years of the colony's existence, the French administration entrusted the missionaries with the task of providing primary education to the children of local intermediaries, almost all of whom were Muslims. Through these young people, the missionaries were able to establish solid and lasting friendly relations with some of the most prominent Muslim notables in the region.