ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the question of future developments in both town and village. As the quiet revolution proceeds, the cultural distinctiveness of Bassari urbanites will probably lessen, beginning with their kinship system. Villagers are more prosperous than in the past; less "communal" and more "individualistic". The nature of the village networks has allowed villagers to benefit from a higher standard of living derived directly from the urban economy, without having to become urbanites themselves. Villagers migrate mainly for economic reasons, and with specific targets in mind: clothing, bridewealth, household goods, or livestock. The urban variant involves a heavy investment by established townspeople in younger villagers, and the imparting of urban knowledge to them. The village system still function s-and indeed, functions well-but the widened context permits villagers to participate in another, urban-based system, which works according to rules which have little to do with the village and its concerns.
