In 1969, John Mbiti published his foundational text, African Religions and Philosophy, in which he articulated an African conception of time, most notably his controversial assertion that traditional African societies had no concept analogous to the distant “future”. In the over 50 years since Mbiti put forward this argument, he and his work have generated spirited debate and critique, particularly about African notions of time and, specifically, his conceptions of “the future”. This session addresses questions and pathways raised by Mbiti's landmark work.
This paper begins by surveying the debate provoked by John Mbiti’s claim that African epistemologies lack attention to the distant future. It argues for the relevance of this debate in our current context of climate crisis and resource depletion. The problems of our day demand a revisiting of Mbiti’s mostly philosophical claim about the value of non-linear models of time. But can this claim be empirically grounded, as demanded by Mbiti’s critics? This paper argues that it can, pointing to evidence from “traditional” rites of passage that, in at least three distinct parts of the continent, may be better termed “rites of return.” The aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence, mostly lacking in Mbiti’s work, for the needed recognition that non-linear and non-teleological models of time, growth, and development not only exist, but, if taken seriously, would benefit the world at large.
Time, memory, and the natural world shape how humans relate to the environment and to one another. Qoheleth observes that “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever” (Eccl 1:4), portraying a natural world that endures while human generations pass away. Within this vision, Qoheleth presents nature as indifferent to human striving, where human achievements fade into forgetfulness. This paper contends that African cosmological perspectives on land, memory, and relational time, as articulated by John S. Mbiti, provide a robust hermeneutic for rereading Qoheleth. In many African traditions, land functions not only as a physical environment but as a living repository of communal memory linking the living and the ancestors. While Qoheleth highlights the fragility of human remembrance, African cosmology emphasizes how land sustains memory and identity across generations. Through this dialogue, this paper offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between time, land, and human identity.
This paper reframes--rather than refutes--Mbiti's seminal argument that African societies had no notion of the "future" by demonstrating how Yoruba religion and philosophy articulate different notions of time which function in relationship as "past" and "present". Through an analysis of language, myth, ritual, and divination, the paper argues that the Yoruba have a clear notion and verbal tense for the "future" but also a more "real" sense of time called igba iwasẹ or metaphorically "Ifẹ"--the source of the Yoruba world. This sacred time/place exists before/outside of time and contains the transcendent archetypes for everything in existence. Thus, Mbiti can be reinterpreted as documenting the interplay between different types of time rather than a perceived lack of a future in African societies.
In many African contexts, the concept of time is understood through patterns of action, response, and consequence. Different views and perceptions of time influence African electoral cycles, voter engagement patterns, and the standards by which democratic performance is judged across various political environments. This paper uses a social ethics framework to explore how African indigenous notions of time and space might be used in politics and activism, not only to guide but also to refine and redefine moral accountability structures and pathways within the body politic.