Abstract
This paper describes the town of Mbulu, a district headquarters, and its interaction with its surrounds, especially with three villages selected for study. Despite Mbulu’s small size (around 6,400 inhabitants), it performs a number of vital central place functions, reinforced by decentralization reforms that are transferring more funding, authority and decision-making to district governments, and serves the varied needs of a large and dispersed rural population. Drawing on interviews with households from each of the three study villages, the paper describes people’s perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of their village life, and the close links they have with the town. The paper discusses the striking socioeconomic differences among households within Mbulu and the villages and, through case studies, emphasizes the diverse reasons for this, and the role of both rural and urban components in the accumulation of wealth and the avoidance of poverty. The paper also highlights the importance of the local cultural context to social norms and behaviour, and in particular to the involuntary out-migration of young village women to town.