Polychronous and Existential Mode of Time in Africa: A Critique of Mbiti’s Concept of Time

Introduction

Space and time are two fundamental metaphysical categories that must continue to challenge and channel our conception of reality. They are two basic realities that determine a lot of human life and activity. Times calculate life while space carries it along and provide the locus for its calculation. Technology has now succeeded in encapsulating time into machines and devices like; clocks, phones, wristwatches, computers, and other forms of timepieces and time sensing devices. Despite these, the coding, using and implication of time cuts across cultures, ages, and places. This underscores the uniqueness of time. It also highlights why time is seen as a complex concept as it has alienated the opinions of philosopher over time. The complexity of time was first highlighted by Augustine thus; I know what “time” it is if no one asks me what it is, but if I want to explain it to someone who has asked me, I find that I do not know (Augustine, 1963, p. 267). So, in an attempt to appreciate and understand this concept of time, scholars have keyed into this evergreen debate metaphysically, existentially and ontologically. And while some scholars decide to translate it and adapt it to their speculation like Immanuel Kant, others opted to contextualize. A typical example of the latter is John Mbiti the African (Kenyan) Philosopher. In trying to interrogate the ontology of time in Africa, Mbiti preferred a hermeneutic model. Mbiti divided time into three phases, the past the present and the future. He asserted that “time is simply

a composition of events which have occurred, those which

are taking place now and those which are immediately to

occur. . .The future is virtually absent because

events which lie in it have not taken place, they have not

been realized and cannot therefore constitute time. . .″ (Mbiti, 1969, p. 19).

For Mbiti, Africans have the idea of the past and present but he argues that they do not have the idea of the future and Mbiti based this on the native environment. This scholar also used the western concept of time to buttress this position that Africans have no idea of the future in their chronological scheme (Mbiti, 1969, p. 19). The disposition and intention of this paper therefore is to critically analyze Mbiti’s position. The paper is both a critique as it critically appraises the position of Mbiti and it is also a restatement of the proper and tenable model of time as far as Africans are concerned. This paper argues that Mbiti did not present his position professionally but rather showed himself to have a parochial disposition toward time in African worldview. This then informed the argument of this paper that time in Africa unlike the impression of Mbiti is holistic, polychronous and existential. This is based on the fact that, Africans “live in time” and their complete circle of life is time driven and if the future is part of the African life, circle and world, then there is a future as far as time in Africa is concerned. This is the position of this paper. For ease of comprehension, this paper is subdivided into sections. The introduction is followed by the African disposition toward time, then Mbiti’s concept of time, this is followed by some critical remarks, the polychronous and existential idea of time in Africa and a culminating reflection.

An African Disposition Toward Time

Africans have a more relative, humane, and co-existential concept of time. They have close ties to the land as life-means and ancestral contact locus. Even with their seasons and periodic events which are attached to the concept of time, Africans do not just do something because it is “time,” for example, eating because it is 7 am or 8 am but the African eats when they feel hungry, they have a relaxed disposition to time and this makes it rather humane. Africans also have a close tie between his past, present and future; this triad forms the basis of their endeavors. They are duly tied to natural rhythm like the sun, moon, stars and cock-crow in reckoning their life events like rising in the morning in a fairly regular harmonious fashion. Time in African also has a metaphysical and supernatural lining as it a sort of eternal living with the ancestors; here, time is teleological and eschatological, it tends toward a reunion. This spells out why the human life attains fulfilment only when it joins the forebears (Ukwamedua, 2018, p. 30). This is a continuous process; it does not entertain any breakage. Hence, death and immortality are practical and existential concepts, within which their life is fulfilled. The African is not a slave to time; he carries out his activities when the “time” comes. This somehow explains the idea of “African time” which is just a colloquia term that is been used to describe a seeming cultural tendency among some Africans. This tendency is toward a more relaxed attitude and disposition to time. Existentially and practically, this has sometimes become very real albeit in a negative sense, as it is now about tardiness in appointments, meeting, activities, and events. Sometimes too, this term is also employed to explain the seemingly more leisurely, relaxed, and also less thoroughly and rigorously routine lifestyle barefaced in these countries especially as against the more hectic, clock-bound pace of daily life in other climes.

Traditional Africans do not rely on hours and numerical dates, rather they rely on emotional cum psychological mark of time; expressed with like when you were given birth to, when you got married, when you gave birth and the likes. And relating to the future, these marks are still to be made. The difference between the western mechanical and African ontological and pragmatic time consciousness is a highly instructive one and this tends to underlie some of the intercultural differences between these two. These example would suffice; the westerner would ask “when did your mother die?” The answer will be; it is 15 years ago. But, the traditional African would ask instead, when was 15 years ago, and the traditional African would reply, when my mother died. Invariably, the African time is aligned and connected to nature, and the natural processes cum events chosen to relate to are the ones emotionally expedient to the African life. For the westerner, the future has been drawn beforehand, forwardly. With Africans, one does not typically believe in hurdles and hitches until one encounters them but on the other hand, spiritually and existentially one can prepared his/herself not to encounter such a distraction or to handle it with less hassles when they arise. And time is not an eternal grid over which life runs recurrently. Life itself is time. Time is seen as the result of what all agents in the world do and how this interacts. The meaning of this is that there is no available “amount of time” rather time is “spun” by the forces of nature. And the time web is made of real and living events, as a matter of fact, it is generally accepted that African societies are more relaxed and people ordinarily seem to have “plenty of time.”

John Mbiti’s Concept of Time in Africa

In his Opus Magnum precisely in the third chapter, the Kenyan philosopher, John Mbiti drafted his ideas about time. Mbiti sees time as a tool and a means to achieve something or to put something in place. Mbiti stated that Africans are very religious “notoriously religious” and understand reality only from that angle. For Mbiti, the African ontology is religion-based as is evident in their interactions with transcendental and human beings. God is the originator, while man is the center of attraction and actions. This synergy is the key to the understanding of the main themes of African thought and life, including time as a concept. Mbiti studied and espoused not time as time but time as a code to the intellectual capacity and interpretation of African Religions and Philosophy (Mbiti, 1969, p. 16). Hence, Mbiti argued lucidly that the traditional African people never bordered about analyzing time as a concept and Mbiti seems to take the credit as the pioneer of any such treatise on time in Africa. It was based on this conviction and affirmation that Mbiti defines time as “. . .simply a composition of events which have occurred, those which are taking place now and those which are immediately to occur” (Mbiti, 1969, p. 17). Mbiti’s treatise on time was couched in eight sections preceded with a long introduction. In this introduction, Mbiti dealt with the issue of general ontology and traditional African religiosity. This Kenyan Philosopher justifies this by taking us to our former point that time serves as the pivot to the comprehension of the African world hence in the preface, Mbiti asserts; “to see how this ontology fits into the religious system, I propose to discuss the African concept of time as the key to our understanding of the basic religious and philosophic concept” (Mbiti, 1969, p. 16).

Section One-Potential Time, Actual Time and “No Time”: Mbiti made it clear that there exist a potential time and also an actual time but in relation to these he saliently posited a third category of “no time.” This for Mbiti stands for what has no possibility of occurring immediately and has not even taken place. This premise was later used to further buttress his point on potential time. Potential time is the type of time that is bound to take place or which is within the precincts of rhythmic natural phenomenon. On the other hand, actual time moves backwards as the individual attention is only set on what has taken place. Actual time stand for what has just happened or what is taking place now. From the immediate present, it takes the place of the immediate past. Actual time is real, present, experiential and eventful. It has both present and past. With these, the individual is able to comprehend, appreciate and situate schemes within the community. The individual appreciates time through the society which dates back to generations. For Mbiti, that time has two dimensions; a long past, a present and virtually no future. The future does not exist because the event tagged to it has not occurred and it can thereby not constitute time because what has taken place unfolds the future either in the level of present or past. This thesis led him to conclude that “ a future ” does not exist. Besides, Mbiti was quick to comment that in the culture from where the context of the paper is drawn and situated, there were no words that conveyed the idea of a future. The ones used in the culture only allowed usage within the span of 6 months and not more than 2 years. The short future is just an extension of past so there is no long or teleological future. More will be said on this in the last section before the conclusion.

Section Two-Chronology: Mbiti states here that unlike the western world that makes use of clock, watch, calendar etc., to reckon time, Africans reckons time with phenomenon, events, activities and their daily and monthly experiences, the sunset, sunrise etc. They tie time to events so besides all the time pieces, the African still has time. He creates time and possesses it, for the African it is not an issue of being or going late, No? It is rather an issue of doing the right thing at its own appointed time. For example, the new yam festival is never late or early but it is celebrated when the time comes and under the rightful circumstances. One then needs but only a little reflection to affirm that Africans reckons time in the concrete and purposeful scheme in consonant with the rhythm of nature. Even the economic life of the traditional African is tied to their concept of time. For reference, Mbiti used the Ankore of Uganda whose predominant business is cattle to express this. From the dawn to dusk, they use the activities of cattle and their predetermined responses to capture time (Roscoe, 1915). The lunar months are recognized instead of the numerical months, and this is based on the change of the moon and the consequent events. Certain events are tied to certain months. This month runs from October to September (Nadler 1937 as quoted by Mbiti, 1969). When the cycle is complete the event recycles itself, this routine is same with regards to years but it is on a wider scale. The actual days are irrelevant so far as the season and their events have come and gone. With these, it is clear that numerical calendar does not make much sense to them. Mbiti further restructures the African concept of time into the Sasa and the Zamani. There is a two-dimensional phenomenon with a long past, a present and virtually no future, the future is virtually absent because event which lie in it have not taken place, and cannot, therefore constitute time (Mbiti, 1969, p. 17).

Section Three: Sasa and Zamani. Mbiti used the Swahili words Sasa and Zamani to evade anglocizing the concept of the past and the present in Africa. The Sasa (present) connotes nearness, immediacy, and newness and this is the period of immediate concern for the people. This concerns their existence here and their routine events and activities. This is used to further highlight the concept of a “no future” because this period only allows for a future that should not last for more than 2 years. Events in this period are those that are about to take place or are in the course of its realization or has just recently happened. Sasa is what is now, and what to do now. This period is experiential and very crucial to the individual as it acts out its activities. The community partakes in this period as it concerns the “now.” It is the micro period but it is complete in itself with a dynamic future and experienced past. On the other hand, the Zamani-past, is the macro time with its past and future. This period saves the events that the Sasa has actualized; both have a smooth blend as they dovetail into another. Zamani is the ultimate period; all is accomplished in this stage. It is the graveyard of time. Mbiti also added that the Sasa and the Zamani have their quality and quantity like big, small, etc., in relation to particular events. The Sasa binds the individual to the community; it is a period of conscious living. The Zamani gives foundation to the Sasa and binds all things to the macro-time. The Zamani is the ordered sequence of things that took place in the life of the world; it is like the library, archive, residue or the bank of time.

Section Four-African History: Here Mbiti was concerned with the history and pre-history of the African people. This was contrasted with the western notion of history. Mbiti remarks that the western history is linear and progressive with an end point while that of Africa is diffused. In Africa, time is cyclical; it repeats itself in the seasons and other recurrent activities and events as evident in the seasons and ceremonies. In this concept of history, time is eternal it does not terminate; it continues. He posits that time is long because it is part of the reality of belongingness. Be-ing-long, time belongs to the reality that is always there as part of human experience. For Mbiti, African history moves backward from the Sasa to the Zamani, since no future exists beyond 2 years. The African history does not climax nor does it entertain progression, the focal point is the Zamani, it is not extinct it is replete with activities and the human being reflects on it, and used it to explain major life events with the system.

Section Five- Time, Events and Human Life: This section argues that the life of the individual is also rhythmic in and with time. Human goes through birth and puberty which are the key moments in life. The community also shares from the rhythm in their activities with the seasons and cycles. In the African world, the unfamiliar rhythms alien to their schemes are perceived as bad omen and are seen as distortions and distractions to the ontological and cosmic harmony.

Section Six-Death and Immortality: Here Mbiti presents the thesis that the individual draws nearer from the Sasa to the Zamani as the person gets older. It is only a series of activities after birth that qualifies the individual as a complete person. The event that joins the individual’s Sasa to the Zamani is death, but after this the person continues to live in the Sasa period. The reason for this is because, the person’s relations remember the person in words and actions, it is the stage of personal immortality and it is continued through procreation. This immortality is also done through libation as they are the mystical ties that hold the living to the dead and it is performed and supervised by the eldest person. The dead appears to the living in the form of remembrance, and this continues until the person goes into the Zamani period. At this stage, the person leaves the level of person to collective immortality. They become pure spirit and cease to be family members because no one remembers them again. They then take the place of intermediary.

Section Seven-Space and Time: This section saw Mbiti aligning with Kant in affirming that it is the content of time that defines space. The African has a very close tie with land. The reason for this is that land concretizes the correlation between the Sasa and the Zamani. The land binds them to the departed and gives them the root of existence. This is why when an African is evacuated from the land, a place of settlement or an abode, it is seen as injustice on a very large scale.

Section Eight-The Future: In this last phase Mbiti calls for a look into the future of time in Africa. This scholar averred that a novel vision of time has come to African and this inevitable notion has to be appreciated if Africans must have to move forward. It is edifying to say that Mbiti contends that this vision stems from the western nation and devoid of this cultural revival of African time from the west; Africans cannot fit into modern world. What a submission from an acclaimed African scholar.

Some Critical Remarks

Mbiti gave the impression that the novel model of time in his text is second to none and that is it borne out of the fact that time was taken very seriously (see, p. 16); but a careful examination reveals the contrary. Mbiti didn’t even conceptualize time as would be expected based on the initial disposition and mission espoused in the introductory part of the text in question. This is because, the mission was to interrogate the ontology of time in Africa using western models, so it is expected that this Kenyan Philosopher would have defined time and put it also in perspective before presenting the African perspective. Mbiti also seems to have merged time and event together. Even though time has to do with events but does time really compose events? Basically, time does not compose events, time only reckons events, time calculates or measures events as they unfold; and this is the reason why time is quite distinct from events. Time is not event and event is not time. Rather, events happen in time and time only notes, records, and reckons with events.

Interestingly, the most striking of Mbiti’s submission is that Africans have “no future” idea of time; except the short future of no more than 2 years. This premise stems from the culture of reference which seems not to have a word for the far future. Here, Mbiti was guilty of the fallacy of hasty generalization because what was found in one culture was used to address the whole of Africa. A logical jump! And the fact that Mbiti didn’t find any word does not necessarily mean that they don’t have words or that there are no words in other cultures or climes. This is because other African people have in their language the expression of the long or far future. While some scholars would argue that these does not exactly depict far or long literarily, but within their context and clime, that is what it intends to narrate or express, and some of those practical and existential examples of the far and long future in Igbo language are; Nke iru ka (the future is greater). This connotes a brighter future from the present unpleasant situation, even animals express the same, the hen says Okuko boo n’iru ya aboo n’azu, juo umu ya si; ole nke kanu? Response Nke iru (the Hen scratches in front, and scratches behind, and asks his chicks; which one is greater? Answer: the one in the front. In front here connotes the idea of the future not just ordinary future but expectant, far, long and glorious future.

This is contrary to the submission of Mbiti that because the future is not immediate, it is not to be reckoned as time or within time (as quoted in the introduction), “the future is virtually absent because events which lie in it have not taken place, they have not been realized and cannot therefore constitute time. . .” (Mbiti, 1969, p. 19). So, the point been made here is that, there is the idea of time beyond the immediate future even if it has not really taken place contrary to Mbiti’s position. Other examples are echi d’ime (tomorrow is “pregnant”) this means the future is not known so the advice is that all should be cautious in life. Since the Igbo word used to fashion this future is echi, meaning tomorrow -never ending; then the life of man is a never ending anxiety about the future. In this sense, the future, an indefinite one, is very real for the Igbo-African even though this future may be for as little as days it could and does also extent beyond to months, years, decades and centuries and this is beyond the immediate future of Mbiti. More will be examine in the next section.

If one looks critically at other cultures one can still find that even when the words are lacking the people live and have projections into the future. Mbiti should have researched further beyond that environment. Now, if they don’t have the idea of a far or long future why are they feeding their cows? waiting for the seasons, getting married, giving birth, how can Mbiti explain the issue of bush fallowing? Even herders of Ankore that he used to analyze African time, leave some pasture land for some time to get fresher, is that not for the far future beyond Mbiti’s 2-years margin? Mbiti was not extensively categorical about this timing however, whether is it for sustenance or existence, there is a future and a far future from beyond Mbiti’s projection. All these are with the sole aim of securing the future. Even communalism as it is practiced in pre-modern Africa helps to explicate the idea of a long/far future. Furthermore, in the sphere of history, time is seen to be eternal. Time is long because it is part of the reality of belongingness. Being-long, time belongs to the reality that is always there as part of human experience. Peeping analytically through Mbiti’s delusion about the “no future” it is apposite to state that in Africa, time has an important future dimension, for indefinitude is not only a character of the past but also can be projected into the future. The future becomes the abode of the ancestors toward which the individual is traveling, the future is the abode of the ancestors because that is where they reside and when they live in the present as mortals, they ordinarily work toward their future mode and state of being as ancestors so that they can continue to live and act accordingly within the community (Ukwamedua, 2021, p. 124). Damian Opata further established some examples, denoting the idea of the future in Igbo worldview he writes, “among African people, the future is replete with unrealized events because the events are yet to take place. At least many African communities have events, feasts, and other activities which are cyclically timed up for series of future time” (Opata, 1998, p. 40). Opata argues that a long future exists in the Igbo worldview, that anything short of this smacks of a renewal the old disdain for African rationality.

Furthermore, Kwame Gyekye insists on the idea of a long future in Africa using the Akan people of Ghana. He reveals that the Akan has a plethora of linguistic, religious and cultural evidences of a long future. He states for instance that the native family father would tell his 10-year old son; my son, seeing the way you behave, you will be a king in future, or you will be a wise man; and he further affirms that the Akan language has definite equivalent of English expression “future.” These expressions are daakye and da bi. Daakye which means future or in the future; da bi literally means “someday” that is an unspecified day, a day as yet unknown, some time to come translated by Christaller as ‘an indefinite time (Gyekye, 1987, p. 184). With these, Kwame Gyekye reveals that the Akan has a three dimensional concept of time: past, present and future, and accused Mbiti of ineptitude. Furthermore, John Ayoade out rightly rejects the thesis of Mbiti thus; “even if it may (though his does not mean that it is) . . .. be true about some people about whom Mbiti may have first-hand knowledge. It is not remotely true of the Yorubas whose perspective of time even extend beyond this life to an after-life” (Ayoade, 1984, p. 95). This position of Ayoade which has and teleological and eschatological underpinning is a potent tool to really refute the submission of Mbiti that there is no far future. This stems from the fact that the issue of life beyond this life “after life” accentuates the idea of a far future which Mbiti was opposed to. For Ayoade, the Yorubas have two main measure of time. The human and the environmental. The human mode of measurement was further bifurcated into the Egocentric- pertaining to the individual and the Communocentric-pertaining to the community. Henri Maurier opted to discuss time in lieu of the changing face of Africa. Maurier sought to expose the role of time in Africa. In Maurier’s estimation, time is of fundamental importance to Africans especially as it concerns their practical life. Due to the nature of the seasons and their practical and existential impact on Africans, it is pertinent for them to plan their routine and “time.” This appreciation of time does not reside on the individuals alone but also on the community. Maurier explains further that ‘in fact if present consensus were rendered null and demystified the relation to the past, the relational life would become an invention which is presented only by the individual. There would be anarchy which would be often created (Maurier, 1985). Maurier argues that time-present must look backward to time-past. This will then lead to authenticity of time in African. This underscores the relational basis of time in African as envisaged by Maurier. For Maurier, time is simply a cordial relationship that exists and should exist for authentic human existence.

Even though some of his apologists would say that ancestor worship is fully captured in his conception of time (zamani); but it in fact remains part of the semantic imbroglio that is replete in the submission and position of Mbiti’s idea of time in Africa. He avers that the event that joins the individual’s Sasa to the Zamani is death, but after this the person continues to live in the Sasa period. This is quite problematic. The point been made here is that, the idea of the absence of future in Africa is a betrayal of ancestor worship in Africa. This is because they spend their present time preparing for the longest future (their other life, as explained above in the third paragraph behind this). With this, it can be said that the present was always there as the future was always ever unfolding into the now. The past was behind, the realized and the achieved. Through its mirror, progress into the future continues until the ancestral and spirit-spirit (infinite time) is reached. Also, not only that the dead live-on when they die, they also have the possibility of reincarnating. ¹ Mbiti also failed to appreciate the fact that the present is only lived because there is a long future in the offing. We live today because tomorrow is coming; we have to live-off today to usher in tomorrow continually. Mbiti should also be made to explain why he gave a-two dimension of time and went ahead to provide a third one-no time. And Mbiti would have clarified convincingly how there can be a past in a future and a future in a past or were the words used unconventionally and unequivocally? If Mbiti wanted to, it should have been stated. So, one can ask Mbiti how one would die and still remain in the present especially in African ontology. All these explicate the syntactic dilemma in Mbiti’s theory. This dilemma was also evident in the exposition of the actual time and the Sasa; their explanations according to Mbiti’s thought are very similar if not same.

Farcically, Mbiti complicated things by stating that for Africa to be real, have a future in history and meet up with modernity, it has to adopt the western notion of time. He even admonished Africans thus “come along with me and you will succeed, part from me, and you will end up in disaster”! Now, must we blend with the West to be germane? Are western scheme our paradigm? Is he not tired of this rapacious mental servitude of Africans to the West? Can the African not retain his closeness to nature without an over commercialized deployment of time while still working hard to survive? In lieu of this, it is of the essence to stress that modernization is not a synonym for westernization; it simply refers to as Professor Youichi Ito has rightly observed “the advancement of a culture and civilization in the competitive sector. . .(which) includes those aspects of a civilization which people can compare, determine which is superior or inferior” (Youichi, 1988, p. 139). Wittily, Mbiti did not expose the western notion of time so what is he telling African to associate with? These problems are compounded because Mbiti sought to compare the African and the western climes toward adopting the western as the paradigm. Regrettably, this comparison by Mbiti smacks of what this paper calls the fallacy of comparison. This is one of the blunders palpable in intercultural relations. This tendency to compare, interchange and intertwine cultures is even liable to copious haziness. The first is that one’s culture is both taken for granted and also taken as the standard. But by taking one’s culture for granted, one uncritically harbors some ignorance of an aspects of one’s own culture, thus even becoming an uncouth judge of it. On the other hand, to take one’s culture as the standard, one cannot avoid the pitfalls of arrogant relativism.

Unfortunately, it is indecorous for some African scholars to think that reality as perceived and practiced by an individual or some African people equals reality of a vast majority of people. So, for Mbiti, the thought of the Ankore of Uganda is equal to that of the whole Africa, what a delusion! Innocent Asouzu would term this “a presumptuous and precarious undertaking” and this was replete in Mbiti. But traditional African societies never completely perceived reality uniformly even though there were some similarities in thought pattern. This is scrupulously making real the assertion of Iroegbu that ‘it is curious to note that many Africans are repeating the contents of particular thought in their different areas, cultures and ethnic groups. And these are presented as African philosophy (Iroegbu, 2004, p. 291). Mbiti should take cognizance of the fact that it is not just about keeping up with categories and wealth of knowledge generated elsewhere or adapt it to local needs and conditions but the task in African philosophy is the capacity to generate idea and from it make cognitive and indigenous discoveries. This is because authentic philosophizing is possible only through the inclusion of that which was deliberately ignored and omitted. The issue of inclusion is critical for the liberation of African philosophy from the overwhelming one-sidedness of the history of Western philosophy. This is because the discrepancy in history from western scholars is the bane of any authentic and liberal thought system in African, and philosophy is a major recipient of this dimple. This according to Olusegun Oladipo remains one of the crises of relevance in contemporary African philosophy. Olusegun Oladipo asserts; “so (probably referring to Mbiti and his acolytes) what he (Mbiti) is busy doing is to promote an order of knowledge which is largely informed by a socio-economic experience that is, at least in its fundamental aspects, anything but African” (Oladipo, 2000, pp. 20 and 21). The outcome of this according to Oladipo (2002, p. 336) is that the contemporary African philosopher derives his education and revival from cultural sources that are distinct from African culture.

The obvious implication of this for Godwin Azenabor is that ‘the African is alienated! But then, the real problem, according to Wiredu, is not actually the variation of sources (or context and content) but its lack of reflective integration (Azenabor, 2008). This view is axiomatically in tandem with the logic of this research that in many others who have written on the African theory of being, one negative cord runs through. This cord is the absence of personal, individual, critical and systematic interpretation of what reality is, what reality means for the author in question, as an African. This for me is the paradox of the predicament that is both latent and manifest in contemporary African thought system. It was this same concern that Obi Oguejiofor appreciated that made him to think that works like; Bantu Philosophy (Tempels), African Religions and Philosophy (Mbiti), do not pass as African philosophy; because, they lacked individual contribution. Agreed that culture is the raw material needed for philosophy to take root, however, the final analysis have to be the individual’s self-understanding or appreciation in the context of his culture (Oguejiofor, 2001, p. 118). This same abysmal and hackneyed “superimposition of foreign categories of thought on African thoughts systems through colonialism made Olusegun Oladipo to later propose a conceptual decolonization in African philosophy” (Oladipo, 1995). Even when he called for a synergy because of development, he said, it must be discriminate coupled with appropriate criteria (Oladipo, 2004). Mbiti has the same style, using western categories to appraise African philosophy and it smacks of scholars writing to make an impression within an oppressive system.

The Polychronous and Existential Model of Time in Africa

The question of the African sense of time has arisen because of some rather unfortunate conclusions some writers on Africa have drawn. Strange enough some of them are Africans like Mbiti. Though Mbiti started by stating that African concept of time is key to the understanding of the basic religious and philosophical concept in Africa but the conclusions drawn from these impressions are quite strange. For Mbiti, the question of time is of little or no academic concern to traditional Africans. The linear concern in western thought, with an infinite future, is particularly foreign to African thinking (Mbiti, 1969, pp. 16–17). But basically, the linear concept of time is not “western” but Judeo-Christian. Cyclic notion of time, was part of the pre-Christian western culture. And when Mbiti talks of time as being of no academic importance among the African people, Mbiti is thinking of time in terms of “education” which in this context must be considered as a purely western cultural academics. Mbiti forgot that time in African culture is pragmatic, holistic, existential and also socialized. In traditional Africa, time apart from being reckoned by such events as the first and second cock-crow, sunrise, sunset, or length of shadow, is also reckoned by meal-times, wine-tapping times, time of return from the farm and so on. These factors are not arbitrary.

For instance, the use of meal periods does not imply that all eat their meals at exactly the same time, but that everyone has a reasonably accurate idea of what is meant. Here a striking distinction between the “clock-time” and existential time is made, thereby bringing out clearly the concept of time and the different elements with which it is reckoned in traditional African. Existential time and timing is the use of time which does not sacrifice social duties and human relations on the altar of clock-time punctuality. For Africans, time is polychronous in the sense that a person can do three or more things within a given period but simultaneously. Clock time thinks them being done successively. For instance, a woman in a typical Igbo village could be cooking, at the same time cracking palm kernel, the same person may still within this period attend to a baby and could also attend to anything that may come up. Some authors have existentially depicted this polychronous concept and use of time in Africa with the image of an African woman who could be pregnant, while at the same time carrying a baby behind and at the same time carrying a load on the head. Combining responsibilities is an aspect of our culture that is directly influenced by our communalism and our sense of time. Therefore, time was for man to control and not to control man. This does not mean nor imply that Africans had no sense of punctuality in their concept of time. It is not uncommon to hear people talking of “African time” to mean that Africans have no sense of punctuality. This statement always refers to the half-Europeanized and half de-Africanised Africans who are finding it difficult to adjust to the “clock-time” category. The traditional African is a master of time and not otherwise. This is why time is existential and pragmatic, that is, time is programed into socio-cultural norms of human behavior and inter-personal relationship.

So, it must be pointed out that Africans do have and conceive of time in the punctual sense, that is, at some particular time things must happen, have effect, or must be done. This can easily be discovered in African religious concepts. There are specific times sacrifices must be offered and no more. There are specific time things must happen, even specific time people must die. It is in this sense we read Elechi Amadi saying: the spirits of death were known to take away people’s souls shortly after midnight. That was when Ekwueme died (Amadi, 1977, p. 216). Despite the events mentioned above, the African also uses market days to indicate definite time and use of weeks to denote cyclic time. Historic time is determined by reference to landmarks in the life of the community, to contemporaneous events or by recourse to a genealogical “chat.” The African can refer to any period in their history, no matter how distant. When events that took place in the “infinite past” are referred to, the African uses symbolic expression such as “when lizards were few and far apart.” The saying is based on another one. The Igbos say, he who has no house, has no lizards. Therefore, the saying “when lizards were few and far apart” refers to when there were few people on earth. Achebe tells us in the words of Ezeulu, as Ezeulu recounts the antiquity of priesthood that: at that time when lizards were still in ones and twos, the whole people assembled and chose me to carry their new deity (Achebe, 1975, p. 70).

As highlighted earlier, Mbiti’s believe that Africans do not conceive of infinite future time is not tenable as regards what some African peoples believe and express in their languages. The Igbo for instance have a saying which clearly shows the concept of indefinite future time. They say: mgbaraka mgba afo gbuo mmadu gbaba ohia, mgbele mgbe ona awula anoro n’uzo chere ya; this literally means, if 1-year escapee kills a human being and runs inside the bush whenever stays on the road to wait for it. The idea of mgbelangbe ona awula- “whenever” implies a concept of a distant future. The idea of a distant future must not be confused with this saying of the tortoise; that let those anxious to attain old age go ahead, all that he wants is to survive each night. This, in Igbo runs thus; Mbe si ya noobola chi ndi nka kawara. This saying bring along with it the idea of immediate futurity, and must be understood from the background of another saying that izu agwu agwu -weeks are unending. The whole idea is that days make up the weeks, and weeks make up the months, the months the year. Therefore, to survive a week means first of all to survive a day. This paper has here again gone through these further details because Mbiti insisted on the absence of distant future in African concept of time as according to Mbiti, “in the east African languages in which I have carried out research and tested my findings, there are no concrete words or expressions to convey the idea of a distant future (Mbiti, 1969, p. 17). And a quick response comes from Byang H. Kato who noted that “the Africans, including the Akamba people may not have a clear understanding of the future, but that does not mean they cannot conceive of the future” (Kato, 1976, p. 61). Kato even went further to observe that:

A Harvard Ph.D. graduate in anthropology, Earnest Balintuma Kalibala, strongly rejected the notion that Africans cannot conceive of the future. when I asked if Bugunda of Uganda are among the “other African societies” who share this supposed Akamba belief, Kalibala replied, ‘This is absurd. The African theologian who believes that kind of thing is following what Europeans have taught him. He has not been home to find out things for himself.’ He then added, ‘we absolutely believe in the future, we even believe in a future resurrection. This is demonstrated by burial ceremonies and the contact we maintain with the spirits of the dead’ (Kato, 1976 61).

All these buttresses the fact that Africans not only have their own model of time which includes past, present and future, it also underscores the fact as has been examined above that the African unique model of time is holistic, pragmatic, existential, and polychronous. This goes to further reiterates the fact that that, time for the African is a lived-phenomenon just as their metaphysics is a lived or anthropologized metaphysics (Ukwamedua, 2021, p. 124).

Culminating Reflection

It is blatant that Mbiti presumed a lot that’s why some scholars would point out that that is his personal concept of time and not that of any part of Africa. This is without prejudice to the fact that Mbiti contributed to the debate about time in African. But it is obvious that the African had, not only a sense of the future, but also prepared well for the experience of it. The various personal rites, from birth, through adulthood, to old age are preparations of the individual person-in-community toward a long future that would be theirs. So, a long future is real. Even Mbiti unwittingly accredited a long, even as everlasting future when later in his text, he writes on the African rhythm of time. He asserts that the African rhythm goes on unremittingly, indeed forever. These inconsistencies betray the fact that Mbiti was imposing foreign categories on Africa and struggled to defend it. This is quite parochial. And it informed this warning that colonialism is therefore, regarded as a veritable moment of epistemicide as far as the indigenous conquered people are concerned. And to urge for the protection of standards in these circumstances is another way of asking for the dominance and perpetuation of the colonial epistemological paradigm. Indeed, Africans not just have an idea of the far future but also their idea of time is both holistic, polychromous, and existential and this is obvious from their mode of being and operations.

Now, the splendor of the novelty of this submission aligns with the position of Jonathan Chimakonam in The Journey of Reason in African Philosophy. Chimakonam maintains that:

Clearly, the value of the study of African Philosophy has to be narrowed down to the manifestation of reason in resolving human and environmental challenges facing the continent and the management of its interactions with other peoples of the world-things that are acutely phenomenological rather than empty debates. It is the biting pains of phenomenological issues worrying the continent that creditably compels us to engage reason in finding ways to survive as a people and with other peoples, to resolve our problem and to progress like the rest of the world. It is in these that we must locate the value of the study of African Philosophy and this value has to be more pragmatic than sentimental (Chimakonam, 2018).

According to Ukwamedua (2021) this is in tandem with the fervent argument of the same Chimakonam in the work Ezumezu: A System of Logic for African Philosophy and Studies, and this was what inspired him to articulate a novel African culture-inspired system of logic that he christened Ezumezu. And his position was that this would ground new models in African philosophy, African studies and other indigenous schemes. His intention is to rescue African philosophy from the spell of Plato and the hegemony of Aristotle (and in this paper John Mbiti) (Chimakonam, 2019, p. xi). This is actually the disposition and intention of this research; which is the creation and recreation of a novel ontology for Igbo metaphysics using indigenous rational schemes which concurs to the fulcrum of the Ezumezu system of logic (Ukwamedua, 2021).