SLC-S29/W4-“Thinking and Ideas!| Rethinking the Normal!”

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Imagine that you prepare very well for one big event. You wake up early, iron your cloth, polish shoe, even borrow perfume from your friend because you want to look fresh. Invitation card says 10am sharp. You reach venue before the time, sit down and waiting for others. One hour pass, nothing happen. Two hours pass, people were still strolling in like it's a joke to them and not important. You begin to ask yourself: “So why did they write 10am if they didn't mean it? Why we do always act like time doesn't matter?”

The practice which I want to talk about is “African Time” – that habit of lateness which people baptize it with a fine name. From wedding to burial, church service to business meeting, even government function, the normal belief is that event can't start on time no matter what. People have turn lateness to identity, like punctuality is a foreign behaviour.

I remember one wedding I attended last week. Invitation boldly written 2pm. I reach 1:45pm because I didn't want to miss anything. By 3pm, DJ have already tire to play same song, food were cold already, little children started to cry because of hunger and sleep. Bride and groom didn't show till 4pm. When they finally arrive, everybody clap like nothing happen. Somebody in the crowd even joke saying, “Its African Time.” That day I realise that we do celebrate wasting of time like an achievement.

People don't challenge “African Time”because it as turn a tradition which everybody is guilty of.

• Everybody is guilty: Since it's a common thing, nobody is shame of it. If you arrive early, you will even look like a hungry soul, or a person which doesn't understand the code.

• Status show-off: Some people believe that if them arrive late, it mean that they are important. Because people will turn head to look at them when coming in. It's a way to show that thier own time has more value.

• Organisers do fear empty hall: If they start on time, it's only few people will be there . So then prefer to delay it till crowd gather.

• We call punctuality “white people style”: Many people see keeping time as a foreign behaviour, so lateness has become a true identity.

I recall one burial in our area last month. Invitation says 9am, but by 11am it was only few people that show. The MC even crack joke saying “You all know there's African Time, let's keep waiting small.” The family were angry because food for visitors were cold, musicians were tired, but nobody see it as problem. That joke alone show how lateness has become untouchable tradition.

If we can break this lateness culture, a lot of things will change:

• Respect will increase: People will begin to trust organisers because event will start when they begin to talk.

• Productivity will rise: Businesses and meetings won't waste hours waiting.

• Global respect: Nigerians can blend much better with international partners which don't tolerate lateness.

• Less stress: Guests won't be guessing when event will truly start and the calculations of when to leave their house to the event location and not to waste their energy.

For example when an event is fix by 10am . But people knows that it will start by 11 or 12pm, they will just be strolling in slowly. If this event start on time, people will surely learn discipline, because any mistakes of lateness they will surely miss parts of programs in the events. And if the event start early as stated it will also finish early so that people can rest or do other things.

If “African Time” vanish totally, some things can go with it:

• Flexibility: Sometimes traffic or poor planning can make lateness unavoidable.

• Bonding moments: Waiting together for friends do give chance for gist and networking.

• Cultural flavour: For many people, lateness has become part of thier identity. Removing it can make thier gatherings feels too stiff.

But if we weigh it well, the gains surely pass the losses. We can still keep our lively gist and bonding without wasting time.

In all “African Time” is one of those practices which we accept as normal without question. People rarely challenge it just because tradition and social pressure is strong. But if we change it, Nigeria can gain respect, productivity, and better organisation. Yes, we might lose small flexibility, but culture suppose evolve.

Normal doesn't mean right. Time is life, and wasting it can reduce our collective progress. If we truly want development, we must rethink this comfortable excuse "African Time" which do hold us back.

Cc:
@ninapenda