African people reflecting on their own situation will frequently
find themselves in a dilemma to identify with western and traditional values.
A case study of the Burji (Ethiopia and Kenya) examplifies this. First a
description is given of the Burji actively dealing with their problems, trying
among other things to keep Burjiness alive. Then in presenting a semiotic
model it is shown how the phenomenon of their changing group identity
(which is not grasped by theories of ethnic group or ethnicity) can be
analyzed. The model presented may be useful for analyzing similar cases
in the Third World
