What Does "African Time" Actually Mean?

How many times have you heard the phrase "African Time" and it has been said to mean being late?

Published 15 June 2025

An African philosopher John Mbiti describes African time as not mathematical or numerical. It is simply time as experienced by the people in relation to events around them. For a pregnant mama, months only have meaning because of the pregnancy. This is in contrast to the Western view where months have meaning regardless of whether any events happen and will pass anyway. 

African time is defined as two-two-dimensional, consisting of only the past and the present. The past is the part where everything comes to a halt and nothing can go beyond. It is the part where everything that has ever happened lives. The past is very important because it is where the ancestors, God and finished events live. So when Africans go about their daily lives, they live so that they are able to look back at the past and be proud and fulfilled. In fact, because of this, the past can sometimes be regarded as more important than the present.

The present consists of events that are happening now and those that will immediately occur. It is important because it is the only time where people can physically, emotionally and mentally experience time as it happens.

"What has not taken place is not an event and, therefore, cannot constitute time" 

African indigenous people do not view the future as time because there are no events that have taken place or events that are to immediately occur. The future cannot be experienced, therefore deeming it as not important. With this view, it is understood that what is of utmost importance to the people are events that have happened and events that are happening now or will happen immediately. 

Due to the nature of time, Africans view time as unique and personal to each person because of how it is viewed. Since events that happen to each individual differ, time therefore becomes interwoven into one's daily existence rather than mathematical and stretching into the unknown future. In African Time, experiences are more important than numbers or mathematical representations of time. So when an African is late, it may not be because they hold little regard for time, but because they view time as so important that they have to experience each and every event that constitutes time, which consequently makes them late. 

The African time as defined by John Mbiti teaches us to focus on the now, because time is an experience, and you only get to experience what is or what will immediately be.

References: 

Imafidon E. et al. (2023). Handbook of African Philosophy.