Is “Africa Time” killing Africa?

5th May, 2009 - Posted by Dana Shaffer -

Last summer, while I was visiting the Open Arms Village in Eldoret, Kenya I was introduced to a phrase, or more accurately a phenomena known as “Africa Time.” I use the word phenomena, because the phrase seems to be universally embraced throughout the continent and because it describes an attitude or way of life that is at once a timeless custom and a point of frustration for modern Africans. “Africa Time” according to the definition of one Ghanaian writer is, “…our nonchalant attitude to time and the need for punctuality in all aspects of life.” To the seemingly “always strapped for time” traveler like myself, the concept of “Africa Time” seems at first glance to be a welcome antidote for the fast paced demands of modern life in the western world. The idea of slowing down and de-emphasizing rigid punctuality in our overfilled schedules seems somehow appealing. It might actually be healthier for us. But Africa is not America and in the opinion of many who live there, “Africa Time” is nothing more than a bad habit that has been romantically passed off as a way of life…a custom. Worse still, it has has become a stumbling block in Africa’s struggle to break free from the bondage of poverty, hunger and despair…a noose around the neck of progress. As one Nigerian columnist puts it, ” ‘Africa Time’ is… killing Africa.” He, like many others, believes that Africans must embrace a new attitude about the value time if they want to effect positive transformation of their culture and stimulate progressive development in their countries. Perhaps there’s a lesson in his column for all of us.

Read the full article here.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Posted on: May 5, 2009

Filed under: News Of The World