Epistemological Implications of John Mbiti's Conception of African Time

This paper makes an attempt to critically explore the concept of time in African understanding as developed by John Mbiti. Specifically, the paper will look at the epistemological implications of Mbiti’s claim that Africans do not have future dimension in their understanding of time. However, as we will highlight, a close examination of such position bears significant epistemological consequences. To that effect, the paper, first examines Mbiti’s categorization of time in African perspective, whereby we will explore dual-dimension of time in traditional Africa as suggested by Mbiti versus linear dimension understanding of time. That will be followed by a detailed discussion against Mbiti’s position and the epistemological ramification of his claim.