A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN AND WESTERN CONCEPTS OF TIME
Sylvester M. Eka 1
Emmanuel Donatus Asanga 2
Department of History and International Studies, University of Uyo, Nigeria 1 & 2
Corresponding Email: sylvestereka@uniuyo.edu.ng 1
Abstract
Time, though by some philosophers is not real has been discovered to be a fundamental reality. One of the major reasons for Africa’s underdevelopment has been the nonchalant attitude to time. Usually, Africans think of time in connection with astronomical events which results in the natural division of time into day and night. Africans reckon Time in the Relative (Natural) manner while the Europeans consider theirs to be Absolute (Artificial). The Relative Time is flexible while the Absolute Time is straight-forward, but full of lapses in view of the major but silent errors inherent in the present Western calender in use. Hence, the reaction of St. Augustine of Hippo which represents the first ever attempt to correct the European idea of time as being Absolute. Oral traditional method was used to collect data which was corroborated with other sources for final conclusion. That paved way for inter-disciplinary approach to historical reconstruction. The paper argues that African historians should tilt towards Relative Time because it is error free and makes provision for inter-disciplinary approach to historical reconstruction.
Keywords: Time, Comparative Study, African Concept, Western Concept.
