Ghanaian Time

Time in Ghana doesn´t exist. At least not in the same way time exists for us in the “western” world. Time is an abstract concept which is intangible to the senses and is therefore insignificant to the Ghanaian mind. Time is faceless and because of that lacking image, Ghanaians seem to completely ignore it.

A culture and religion professor, a serious man, whom I recently interviewed didn´t hesitate when he acknowledged that in Ghana they “play with time.” Our interview was scheduled at 11 a.m. yet we didn´t meet until 12:30 p.m. Not one word was mentioned about the delay, perhaps because I was the only one who noticed it.

The idea of rushing to an appointment is a foreign concept for Ghanaians who like to live a stress-free/hurry-free type of life. Things get done here, but at a different pace. If the water doesn´t work in the morning, then you just wait until it works in the afternoon. If someone said they would call you today and they don´t, they will probably do so tomorrow.

Time is trivial. An hour is just an hour, as a day is just a day. All can be done in an hour; nothing might get done in a day. Like anywhere else, Ghanaian time goes by at a steady motion—4, goes after 3, which is after 2, which is later than 1. However, if things get bumped later (never earlier), you, for lack of a better term, just go with the flow.

Take for example my morning today. I had scheduled an appointment with Women´s World Bank to go around Makola Market interviewing some of their clients. I was told to be at their office at 7:30 a.m. I did find it somewhat strange that I would interview people at the market so early, but I figured maybe this specific market opened earlier than the rest. I went to bed early last night, woke up at 6:30 a.m. and was at WWB by 7:20 a.m. Obviously the market was closed, and my reporting was rescheduled for Friday, at 10 a.m. This was an honest mistake that could have happened anywhere, even at a place where time is valued. However, it´s the nonchalant attitude what defines Ghanaian´s relationship with time--Oh, you woke up early today and couldn´t get you work done, well, then you can do it tomorrow and if not the day after that.

Under certain circumstances, like the one this morning, their approach to time is rather irritating, to say the least. It´s hard to get things done in a place where everyone works at different schedules and where time and punctuality are meaningless words. But in most cases, Ghanaian time philosophy is, if anything, admirable. No one here is constrained to follow any schedule and if they couldn´t make it to an appointment, well, they just couldn´t make it. Their stress in minimal, their life is more free. Ghanaian time fits Ghanaian life, where it´s never too late or too early to do anything and where time is not of the essence.