Being late shouldn’t be something to joke about.
So it’s no secret that Kenyans aren’t good at keeping time. If you are Kenyan, chances are that you or someone you know has probably told someone on the phone that “niko kwa njia,” (‘I’m on the way’) when you’re seated at your table drinking tea. All sorts of jokes have been made about Kenyans’ capacity for tardiness. I once read a joke that if a Kenyan arrives late to a meeting, but they’re the first ones there, they say to themselves, “kwani nilikuja mapema?” (‘I came early?’).
This isn’t a phenomenon unique to Kenya, however. ‘African time’ is a phrase used to describe how Africans don’t have a sense of punctuality. For us, being late is expected. One explanation that I heard for why this occurs is one I found somewhat humorous. Apparently, Africans tend to be ‘polychronic.’ The prefix ‘poly-‘ originates from the ancient Greek word for ‘many,’ and the suffix ‘chronic’ originates from the ancient Greek word for time. Thus, being ‘polychronic’ means that you don’t view time in a rigid manner. Polychronic people don’t see arriving a few minutes (or hours) late as an issue. According to this view, people and relationships are more important than keeping time. It’s incredible that there’s a technical academic explanation for being late.
In contrast, communities such as those in the United Kingdom or Japan are ‘monochronic’ and value punctuality. I lived in England for a few years and trust me, those guys take being on time seriously. Once, when I was at a train station, I heard an announcement apologising for a four-minute train delay. A four-minute delay! In certain cultures, being four minutes late is unacceptable. For some Africans, that’s Saturday.
As much as it’s funny to laugh at how being late is such a regular thing when it comes to us Africans, I do think it’s something we need to address. Africa is a continent plagued with issues from graft, to mass unemployment to economic stagnation. Good habits are the stepping stones which lead to progress. Societies can only improve if individuals are disciplined and accountable.
Western nations and many Asian countries have succeeded over the decades because of good habits. Our laissez-faire approach to timekeeping could very well be one of the reasons Africa still lags behind other regions when it comes to economic progress.
So, as Africans, let’s try and actually arrive on time. Or even a few minutes early. I don’t think anyone has ever seriously regretted being early to a meeting. But many feel bad, or should feel bad, when they’re late. If we want Africa to grow and flourish, we need to make small, but important behavioural changes. Striving for punctuality is one of them. As the song says, ‘mapema ndio best.’
Sources
Intercultural Competencies: Understanding Monochronic and Polychronic Cultures https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/WC498