Dear Richard,
I wish to thank you for sharing with us the writer's views on why Ugandans
"don't keep time". However, the problem with the article is that it assumes
that time is a universal concept which it is not. Time is a socio-culturally
specific concept whose alleged management or rather mismanagement is dependent
on the material conditions. In the Western World where I have spent the last
seven or so years, time is mainly viewed as a private property that people own
individually. It has a market value for which it can be sold or bought. This
makes time a scarce commodity which had to be calibrated into hours, minutes
and seconds to be put on office walls in form of clocks and on people's arms as
watches.
In Africa, time is not necessarily a private property. Not at all! On the
contrary it is a communal resource which is best shared with others through
social interactions ranging from family meetings, meal times, ordinary
conversations, greetings, funerals, drinking places, marriage ceremonies,
parties, to economic transactions. In Africa time is not an abstract concept
symbolized by clocks and watches that exist independent of us. It is part and
parcel of our being. It is fluid and it flows with you from one activity to
another. Our time is marked by the end of an activity in which one has been
involved. Once the activity has ended, it is time for the next activity. This
makes the African rather elastic contrary to the Western concept of time.
So, before one rashes to blame Africans for not keeping time, it would be
advisable to first reflect on the assumed universality of time on the basis of
which one would more meaningful arguments. Next time when someone blames you of
not keeping time ask him or her which time or rather whose time and give them
some food for thought.
Thanks.
Sam Andema
________________________________
From: Okuti Richard <ok...@asili.co.ug>
To: 'St. Joseph's College Ombaci OB's Mailing List'
<ombaci...@googlegroups.com>; 'A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile'
<westnilenet@kym.net>
Sent: Monday, 7 April 2014, 20:40
Subject: [WestNileNet] FW: [wougnet-l] 048/2014 Why Ugandans don't keep time....
I found this interesting to read…
=====================
“Why Ugandans don’t keep time….
For those of us who studied in Church-founded schools, the question of time
management was none you could dare compromise on. Reporting late to class or to
church or to the assembly by a single minute carried a hefty punishment. From
St. Joseph’s Vocational School, I joined the School of journalism at the Uganda
Christian University, and in the first lesson, the professor emphasized the
importance of time management in the communications industry. The media
particularly works in a chain and if any member fails to adhere to their
allotted schedule, the entire chain process is delayed.
Fast-forward into the real Ugandan world, and time management is terribly a
huge problem. Not only do people come late for meetings, but there’s not even a
culture of sending [timely] apologies and some neither confirm nor show
up at all. At the higher levels, it’s quite a norm for the senior officials to
show up an hour or so late, and some believe it’s fashionable since they are
busy people! And not only do high people come late, but they even leave early!
And this abuse of schedules stretches to many other sections of society, in
what has come to be known as “Ugandan time”.
I have witnessed situations where some NGOs organize meetings and the
organizers themselves arrive late! In other instances, participants trickle
into meetings leisurely throughout the entire meeting duration. Various
organizations are also battling with late-coming at work by their staff, and
some require everyone to clock into a register on time.
I have been keenly observant lately in trying to understand just why Ugandans
do not keep time. The practice is usually to hound blame on the persons not
keeping time, without analyzing the factors that facilitate this situation in
the first place. Among other reasons why Ugandans in particular do not keep
time includes:
Disinterest- One sees no significant difference in keeping time or not as
either or doesn’t make any significant change
Lack of motivation- That keeping time is actually such a waste of time!
Priority- Competing priorities also encourage people not to keep time. Someone
wants to attend a meeting, but having her hair well done is equally important
Short notice- It’s common in Uganda to arrange meetings at a very short notice.
This presumes that the invited parties are free and therefore flexible, yet
it’s not always the case
Protest-Some people come late deliberately to frustrate progress especially on
matters they do not quite believe in
No value attached: That a minute reported earlier or later, is insignificant.
Being present, late or absent =1.
Resignation- That the last three times I was the first to report but the
meeting started an hour later, so why bother?
Priority staking-That my own stuff matters more than what I have been invited
for
Poor planning- Failure to properly allocate the available time e.g. you have a
meeting at 10.00am and you decide to engage yourself up to 9.30am, only to be
entangled in traffic jam
Ah, but wait a moment: Many Ugandans actually keep time when it matters,
including those well-known not to keep time. Here are a few instances where
Ugandans keep time:
Travel abroad-The last time I checked, there are very few flights if any, that
delay take off because a certain passenger is late. Ugandan travelers know the
rule of the game, and even if they try to evade the mandatory 2-hour check-in,
they are on time for boarding
Football- Some Ugandans are so passionate about their Football teams especially
when it comes to the famous Premier League and Champions League matches. Fans
can’t afford to miss a single minute of the funfair. People tend to be
religious to those things that most appeal to their inner man/woman
Food-It’s become evident that participants attending meetings starting with
lunch or breakfast report far earlier than those without. Also dinners and
cocktails are quite well attended on time. That’s why some people even spend so
much on fundraising meetings before even getting any pledges!
Cake-Akin to the above, many Ugandans quite like cake so much. So nowadays on
some weddings, the first item is cutting the cake!
Money-Any event with tangible monetary value assured, participants will surely
come on time. It’s not unusual nowadays therefore for event organizers to
provide transport refund even when the participant is the end beneficiary
Job interviews-time management here is internationally observed, if that should
serve an added advantage
Funerals-Yes, everyone wants to be on time to say goodbye to their loved one.
As it stands therefore, it’s not true that Ugandans are naturally born time
unconscious. They simply do not give a damn as long as keeping time has no
proven additional value.
Some organizations have introduced penalties for late-coming, but still this
has not worked. They forget that unless the factors holding back individuals
from observing time have been addressed, laws cannot be the solution. They care
less when their staff leave office so late past normal working hours, but
expect them to report to work on schedule the next day; and for events that are
of no direct benefit to an individual, it would be expecting too much of anyone
to enthusiastically be on time.
So, it’s imperative that Ugandans graduate from looking at time merely on the
Clock and attach a human face to it. Even the clock itself can only continue
ticking when the cell in it is functioning. This cell could be related to the
enabling factors aforementioned. An English adage says, “Time is money”. If
keeping time gives one money, they will keep it; but equally so, if not keeping
time gives one money, they will not keep it- where money is merely figurative.
It could be anything else of value to an individual. I believe with the right
motivation, even the Kampala Jam may not be reason enough for anyone not to
keep time.
By: Tumusiime K. Deo
International Communications Consultant
--
Tumusiime K. Deo is an International Communications Consultant”
_______________________________________________
WestNileNet mailing list
WestNileNet@kym.net
http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet
WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including
attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
WestNileNet mailing list
WestNileNet@kym.net
http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet
WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including
attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way.
_______________________________________________
