# African time

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Cultural attitude to time

For the time zones on the continent of Africa, see [Time in Africa](/source/Time_in_Africa).

**African time** (or **Africa time**) is the perceived cultural tendency in parts of [Africa](/source/Africa) and the [Caribbean](/source/Caribbean)[1] toward a more relaxed attitude to [time](/source/Time).[2][3] This is sometimes used in a [pejorative](/source/Pejorative) sense, about tardiness in appointments, meetings and events.[4] This also includes the more leisurely, relaxed, and less rigorously scheduled lifestyle found in African countries, especially as opposed to the more clock-bound pace of daily life in [Western countries](/source/Western_countries).[5] As such, it is similar to time orientations in some other non-Western culture regions such as South and West Asia.[6][7] In 2014, Nigerian-American filmmaker [Chijindu Kelechi Eke](/source/Chijindu_Kelechi_Eke) explored this topic as a cultural rift through his film, *African Time*.[6][8][9]

## Aspects

The appearance of a simple lack of [punctuality](/source/Punctuality) or a lax attitude about time in Africa, may instead reflect a different approach and method in managing tasks, events, and interactions. African cultures are often described as "[polychronic](/source/Polychronic)",[10][11] which means people tend to manage more than one thing at a time rather than in a strict sequence. Personal interactions and relationships are also managed in this way, such that it is not uncommon to have more than one simultaneous conversation.[11] An African "emotional time consciousness" has been suggested which contrasts with Western "mechanical time consciousness".[12]

In the Caribbean, "...[t]hings just won't always happen as quickly or as precisely as you may be accustomed to". Due to the cultural influence of "Caribbean time" or "island time", locals do not have the sense of time pressure that is part of Western culture.[13]

## Colored people's time

**Colored People's Time** (also abbreviated to **CP Time** or **CPT**) is an American expression referring to [African Americans](/source/African_Americans) as frequently being late.[14][15][16][17][18][19] It claims that African Americans can have a relaxed or indifferent view of punctuality, which leads to them being labeled as lazy or unreliable.[14][20][21][22]

According to [NPR](/source/NPR)'s podcast *[Code Switch](/source/Code_Switch)*, the phrase has variations in many other languages and cultures, is often used as a light-hearted comment or joke regarding being late, and may have first been used in 1914 by *[The Chicago Defender](/source/The_Chicago_Defender)* newspaper.[23]

There are differences between [monochronic](/source/Monochronic) societies and [polychronic](/source/Chronemics#Polychronic_time) societies (e.g., some of those found in Sub-Saharan Africa).[24]

## Reactions to time orientation in Africa and the Caribbean

### Self-criticism and commentary

The concept of African time has become a key topic of [self-criticism](/source/Self-criticism) in modern Africa. According to one [Ghanaian](/source/Ghana) writer,

One of the main reasons for the continuing underdevelopment of our country is our nonchalant attitude to time and the need for punctuality in all aspects of life. The problem of punctuality has become so endemic that lateness to any function is accepted and explained off as 'African time.'[25]

In October 2007, an [Ivorian](/source/Ivory_Coast) campaign against African time, backed by [President](/source/President_of_the_Ivory_Coast) [Laurent Gbagbo](/source/Laurent_Gbagbo), received international media attention when an event called "[Punctuality Night](/source/Punctuality)" was held in [Abidjan](/source/Abidjan) to recognize business people and government workers for regularly being on time. The slogan of the campaign is "'African time' is killing Africa – let's fight it." [Reuters](/source/Reuters) reported that "organizers hope to heighten awareness of how missed appointments, meetings or even late buses cut productivity in a region where languid tardiness is the norm". It was remarked that this year's winner, legal adviser Narcisse Aka—who received a $60,000 [villa](/source/Villa) in recognition of his punctuality—"is so unusually good at being punctual that his colleagues call him 'Mr White Man's Time'".[26] Some Western tourists in the Caribbean "...become infuriated if locals don't respond as promptly or as efficiently to every request as employees or service personnel do back home".[13]

### Popular culture

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The contrast between African time and Western time is illustrated in the award-winning short film *[Binta and the Great Idea](/source/Binta_and_the_Great_Idea)*. The [protagonist](/source/Protagonist) of the film, a [fisherman](/source/Fisherman) in a small village in [Senegal](/source/Senegal), struggles to understand the new concepts brought back from [Europe](/source/Europe) by his friend; these are symbolized by a [Swiss wristwatch](/source/Swiss_watch), which rings at various times to the delight of the friend, but for no apparent reason. The fisherman is shown making his way through the various ranks of officials with his idea, which in turn criticizes Western culture's obsession with efficiency and progress.

The expression *Colored people's time* has been referenced numerous times in various types of media, including the films *[Friday Foster](/source/Friday_Foster)*, *[The Best Man](/source/The_Best_Man_(1999_film))*, *[Bamboozled](/source/Bamboozled)*, *[Undercover Brother](/source/Undercover_Brother)*, *[Let's Do It Again](/source/Let's_Do_It_Again_(1975_film))*, *[House Party](/source/House_Party_(film))*, *[BlacKkKlansman](/source/BlacKkKlansman)*, and several television series: *[The Mindy Project](/source/The_Mindy_Project)*, *[Prison Break](/source/Prison_Break)*, *[The Boondocks](/source/The_Boondocks_(TV_series))*, *[The Wire](/source/The_Wire)*, *[Weeds](/source/Weeds_(TV_series))*, *[Where My Dogs At?](/source/Where_My_Dogs_At%3F)*, *[Reno 911!](/source/Reno_911!)*, *[30 Rock](/source/30_Rock)*, *[Everybody Hates Chris](/source/Everybody_Hates_Chris)*, *[A Different World](/source/A_Different_World)*, *[The PJs](/source/The_PJs)*, *Bridezillas*, *[Mad TV](/source/Mad_TV)*, *[Cedric the Entertainer Presents](/source/Cedric_the_Entertainer_Presents)*, *[In Living Color](/source/In_Living_Color)*, [*Empire*](/source/Empire_(2015_TV_series)), *[F Is for Family](/source/F_Is_for_Family)*, and reality series *[The Real Housewives of Atlanta](/source/The_Real_Housewives_of_Atlanta)* and *[The Real Housewives of Potomac](/source/The_Real_Housewives_of_Potomac)*.

*Colored People's Time* was used as the name of a 1960s public interest program produced by [Detroit Public Television](/source/Detroit_Public_Television). It was also used in the title of the 1983 play, *Colored People's Time: A History Play*, written by [Leslie Lee](/source/Leslie_Lee_(playwright)), which consisted of 13 fictional vignettes of [African American history](/source/African_American_history), from the [Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War) through [Civil Rights](/source/Civil_rights_movement) and the [Montgomery bus riots](/source/Montgomery_bus_boycott).[27] *CP Time* was also a 2007 book by J. L. King.[28]

In his 1982 book *Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.*, author [Stephen B. Oates](/source/Stephen_B._Oates) notes that [Martin Luther King Jr.](/source/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.) and his staff operated by what they jocularly called "CPT"—Colored People's Time—"and kept appointments with cheerful disregard for punctuality".[29]: 280 King once apologized for being late for a banquet, saying he forgot what time he was on—EST, CST, or Colored People's Time, adding that "It always takes us longer to get where we're going."[29]: 328

On April 9, 2016, in a staged joke skit at that year's annual [Inner Circle](/source/Inner_Circle_(parody_group)) dinner, Mayor of New York City [Bill de Blasio](/source/Bill_de_Blasio) said he'd been operating on "C.P. time" for his delay in endorsing [Hillary Clinton](/source/Hillary_Clinton) as the [Democratic Party nominee](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) for president. The actor [Leslie Odom Jr.](/source/Leslie_Odom_Jr.), then starring in the Broadway show *[Hamilton](/source/Hamilton_(musical))*, then replied "I don't like jokes like that, Bill," after which Clinton delivered the [punch line](/source/Punch_line) that CPT stood for "cautious politician time." This skit was widely criticized, with *[The Root](/source/The_Root_(magazine))* calling it "cringeworthy" while the conservative outlet *[TownHall](/source/Townhall)* pointed to a double standard that, "It's only racist if Republicans do it."[30] In response, [President](/source/President_of_the_United_States) [Barack Obama](/source/Barack_Obama), during the 2016 [White House Correspondents' Dinner](/source/White_House_Correspondents'_Dinner) on April 30, jokingly apologized for being late because of "running on C.P.T." adding that this stands for "jokes white people should not make".[31]

In February 2018, [Roy Wood Jr.](/source/Roy_Wood_Jr.) presented a segment on *[The Daily Show](/source/The_Daily_Show)* called "CP Time" to celebrate [Black History Month](/source/Black_History_Month) by "honoring the unsung heroes of black history". It has since become a recurring segment on the show.[32]

## See also

- [Slow movement (culture)](/source/Slow_movement_(culture))

- [Procrastination](/source/Procrastination)

- [Tardiness § Ethnic stereotypes](/source/Tardiness#Ethnic_stereotypes)

- [Time management](/source/Time_management)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Caribbean Culture - Caribbean Time - Island Time"](http://guidetocaribbeanvacations.com/details/caribbeantime.htm). *Guidetocaribbeanvacations.com*. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["What is this thing called African Time?"](http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2010-01-21-what-is-this-thing-called-african-time/#.UziHXKhdU5g). Daily Maverick. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cnn_3-0)** [Josh Macabuag](/source/Joshua_Macabuag). ["Adjusting to Africa time - CNN.com"](http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/10/04/btc.josh.blog.time/index.html). CNN. Retrieved 16 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Can Africa keep time?"](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3211923.stm). BBC News. 28 October 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Knab, Joachim; Widlok, Thomas (28 October 2021). ["Why the idea of 'African time' keeps on ticking"](https://theconversation.com/why-the-idea-of-african-time-keeps-on-ticking-169791). *The Conversation*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_6-1) Greg Flakus (26 August 2014). ["Texas-Based Nigerian Filmmaker Explores Tardiness as Cultural Rift"](https://www.voanews.com/a/2429251.html). Voice of America. Retrieved 18 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bert Hamminga. ["A Comparision \[sic\] of the Western and African Concepts of Time"](http://www.eldrbarry.net/ug/afrtime.pdf) (PDF). *Eldrbarry.net*. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** *African Time. Bigobi Productions; 2014*. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [891777819](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/891777819).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Eke, Chijindu Kelechi., et al. African Time. Bigobi Productions, 2014"](https://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990141276250203941/catalog). *[Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) Library*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["International Community Resources: Cultural Differences"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140209095107/http://www.celt.iastate.edu/international/CulturalDifferences3.html). Iowa State University. 7 June 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.celt.iastate.edu/international/CulturalDifferences3.html) on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-books.google.com_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-books.google.com_11-1) Charlene Solomon; Michael S. Schell (15 May 2009). [*Managing Across Cultures: The 7 Keys to Doing Business with a Global Mindset*](https://books.google.com/books?id=1ZQftFg_G7gC). McGraw Hill Professional. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780071605861](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780071605861). Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [Hamminga, Bert "The Western versus the African Time Concept," accessed 2010-1-30](https://web.archive.org/web/20050415222303/http://mindphiles.com/floor/teaching/timeafr/timeafri.htm) (this webpage article appears to be the author's synopsis of a discussion of the subject of time in John S. Mbiti's *African Religions and Philosophy*, London: Heinemann 1969)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-guidetocaribbeanvacations1_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-guidetocaribbeanvacations1_13-1) ["Caribbean Culture - Caribbean Time - Island Time"](http://guidetocaribbeanvacations.com/details/caribbeantime.htm). Guidetocaribbeanvacations.com. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bara_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bara_14-1) Baratunde Thurston (23 February 2010). ["Black History Month: An Explanation of CP Time by Your Very Delayed Guest Book Editor"](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/black-history-month-an-ex_b_472959). *HuffPost*. Retrieved 22 June 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Nikki Lynette (3 December 2009). ["'CP Time': Does my Black race indicate I'll always be late?"](http://www.chicagonow.com/becoming-nikki-lynette/2009/12/cp-time-does-my-black-race-indicate-ill-always-be-late/). Becoming Nikki Lynette. Chicagonow.com. Retrieved 26 October 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["A Geography of Time"](https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/l/levine-time.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 26 October 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Valerie June On Learning To Love 'Perfectly Imperfect' Voices"](https://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2013/08/09/209857975/valerie-june-on-learning-to-love-perfectly-imperfect-voices). *The Record*. NPR. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Feliks Garcia. ["Hillary Clinton under fire for participating in racially charged joke | Americas | News"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hillary-clinton-and-bill-de-blasio-under-fire-for-awkward-joke-about-coloured-peoples-time-a6979661.html). *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["'Sorry, Hillary, I was running on CP time'; Backlash over NYC may"](http://www.torontosun.com/2016/04/12/sorry-hillary-i-was-running-on-coloured-people-time-backlash-over-nyc-mayors-racist-joke-with-clinton). *Toronto Sun*. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** Judith H. Katz. ["Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness and White Culture in the United States"](https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/whiteness). Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. Retrieved 15 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Adam Howard (12 April 2016). ["Bill de Blasio's 'colored people's time' joke comes at a bad time"](http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bill-de-blasios-colored-people-time-joke-comes-bad-time). MSNBC. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** T.J. Holmes (14 March 2014). ["Black Stereotype: C.P. Time Is Not a Myth"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150322043621/http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/03/black_stereotype_c_p_time_is_not_a_myth.html). *The Root*. Archived from [the original](http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/03/black_stereotype_c_p_time_is_not_a_myth.html) on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-NPR2014_23-0)** ["Running Late? Nah, Just On 'CPT'"](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/11/23/365706319/running-late-nah-just-on-cpt). *[Code Switch](/source/Code_Switch)*. [NPR](/source/NPR). 23 November 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["These behaviors are more commonly associated with the monochronic world view"](https://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture/File/sec1-3-5h1.htm). *www2.pacific.edu*. Retrieved 15 May 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Progress and punctuality"](http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-21361202_ITM). *Ghanaian Chronicle*. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** Murphy, Peter (8 October 2007). ["Gives new meaning to getting a house 'on time'"](https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL0762200020071008). Reuters. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** Lee, Leslie (1983). *Colored People's Time*. Samuel French. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-573-61894-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-573-61894-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** King, J. L. (2007). *CP Time: Why Some People Are Always Late*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Oates_29-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Oates_29-1) Oates, Stephen B. (1982). *Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr* (Paperback ed.). Payback Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780862418373](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780862418373).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** ["Hillary Clinton, Bill de Blasio criticized for race-based joke"](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-bill-de-blasio-criticized-for-race-based-joke/). CBS News. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** [*President Obama COMPLETE REMARKS at 2016 White House Correspondents' Dinner*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA5ezR0Kh80). [C-SPAN](/source/C-SPAN). 30 April 2016. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/hA5ezR0Kh80) from the original on 21 December 2021 – via [YouTube](/source/YouTube).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (28 December 2018). ["CP Time with Roy Wood Jr. - 2018 Episodes"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hu1HI7Jvzs). YouTube. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/0Hu1HI7Jvzs) from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2020.

## External links

- The dictionary definition of [*just now*](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/just_now) at Wiktionary

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [African time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_time) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_time?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.