African Time: Whose ideology?

How bad is the problem of punctuality around you? Inability to keep to time is a disease most especially Africans are prone to; thus the coinage of the term African time. When an event is scheduled to take off at a particular time, it is delayed and people who are there in good time are consoled by saying “we are sorry that we are starting off late, as usual, African timing” then you start to wonder when Africa start having a different timing from the rest of the world.

This bad attitude of African time has eaten deep into our affairs that we all see no fault in arriving late at an event late. This writer happened to be at the airport about two weekends back and was amazed at the indifferent attitude of the airline and even the Airport authorities towards keeping to schedule. Frustrated, I wondered aloud and someone responded to me ‘are you surprised. Its African time everywhere in this country’. but, even at the Airport, I wondered? Last year also a Pakistani friend asked “is there really an African time you people follow so that I can learn how to time myself when coming for an event next time?” I explained to her that it is actually only an adage given to late arrival. “Then there is a need to arrest this bad attitude as I always thought there was something actually called African time.”

“This has been a problem that has gradually eaten into our culture up to the presidential level because you find out that they never start a programme at the designated time and people have to keep waiting for long hours before the event eventually kicks off. It is an attitude that we do on purpose as when it comes to work, we make sure that we arrive on time because, there is a price to pay for tardiness towards work” says Adama Abdulaziz.

Time is very important in our lives likewise keeping to it, but many have argued that it is better late than never “the African time mentality does not signify anything negative, it only shows that it is better to be late than never. That was what I guess the adage was initially meant for before it deteriorated to this level of starting hours late and referring to it as African time’” Biodun Suleman said.

“It is high time people started realising that keeping to time does not only show respect but also tells a lot about a person’s integrity. Though this attitude will take a long time to be phased out because many people who adhere to this African time syndrome feel very important knowing that people are still there for hours waiting for them” In fact, we even mock those who are punctual for an event. Our respondent declained.

Someone once said in his blog, “This time: ‘African time’ is evidently killing Africa – let’s face it. Time is time world over, it plays the same role and there should be no difference. Does the term ‘African time’ have any xenophobic undertone?” Africa especially in Nigeria has acquired this name because of our willingness and lukewarm attitude to take everything for granted.

Many Nigerians have strangely perverted notion of time, such that even when punctual, you still end-up working with ‘African time’. From my experience, the only time ‘African time’ is not applicable in Nigeria is when it’s time to share some money! That is when “delay is dangerous”.

Development of Nigeria and Africa is stalled because we take joy in dishonouring appointment and waste other people’s time. Our comfort with ‘African time’ is now a disease eating the fabric of our development. A stitch in time saves nine, and a Nigerian musician captures the message well in the song “time na money, use your time well”. Opportunity lost cannot be regained; we should make hay while the sun shines as delay is always dangerous, not only in sharing money but in working for the money.

“It is my opinion that ‘African time’ is degrading and a racist term, whether we take it consciously or unconsciously. There should neither be white, red, yellow, Asian, or American time. Time is always time and should be accorded the same value worldwide” Adekunle Badmus said.

Time is money as they say and if we must rebrand we must first start from being time conscious and only then can we phase out this negative impression of ‘African time’ in our society.