In this paper I will be discussing the research I had done in Mozambique's Sofala and Cabo Delgado provinces about the rural markets, in September and October of 2003. I will discuss three themes: Africa's modernity, rural markets, anthropological research. Mozambique is stepping into a form of modernism, since this country's historical events (colonialism, the marxist regime, the civil war, the
... [Show full abstract] introduction in a capitalist economy and within the international aids system) have forced Mozambique to deal with local global issues. The rural markets analysis shows three systems of circulating goods: the system of domestic production, the system of regional production and the one of international production. In the first system (domestic) women have an essential role, being the ones who cultivate the fields and organize the selling of excess goods. In some of Mozambique's markets we find foreign products for everyday use: we call these markets «transition markets». Together with these markets new professional figures, who play the role of cultural mediators, are developing. The third consideration is about anthropological research method. I'm describing the importance of using «critical knowledge» to read the transformation process of the cultures and to create a true intercultural dialogue.