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 It beggars belief that in this day and time, some of us continue to hold onto the concept of African time. All too often, I hide my face in shame when my brethren walk leisurely into a boardroom at 2:00pm to attend a meeting that was scheduled for 12:00pm! The flimsy excuse often advanced to justify this collective irresponsibility is the misnomer called 'African time'.

 This sort of skewed reasoning belongs in a bygone age. It stems from a primitive mindset which restricts Africans to reading time by observing their own shadows, movements of the sun and moon or listening to the crow of the cock. Such reasoning also confines Africans to counting rivers,streams and mountains in order to measure distances between villages and towns. This is a load of hogwash!

 Decency and good breeding dictate that we be punctual at all times. Being on time shows we care about others. It is a mark of self-discipline and respect toward others.We cannot forever behave like a bunch of unruly brats all in the name of 'African time'.

 Time has a lot of vital functions in our social lives. In the corporate world, time is money. We are all paid on the basis of time computation. In academia time management predetermines achievement and underachievement. Time has become an overbearing master. The concept of time is of such critical importance that communication gurus have coined the term 'chronemics'to describe the use of time in interpersonal communication.

 As we celebrate Africa Fest 2004, we should constantly remind ourselves that some of our customs are keeping us in the dark. The concept of 'African time' is one such custom.

                       PETER WUTEH VAKUNTA 2004

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